A new bus manufacturer is being launched: in VISEON Bus GmbH, based in Pilsting in Lower Bavaria, a new bus and coach builder has appeared on the German market for the first time in many years. The new enterprise was entered in the commercial register and commenced business in July 2008. The first full fiscal year will most likely start on 1 January 2009.
The managing director of the new company, resulting from a so called management buy-out, is Joachim Reinmuth (52), who was managing director of NEOPLAN Bus GmbH from 2002 to June 2008. Joachim Reinmuth is here a majority shareholder, and MAN Nutzfahrzeuge holds a minority share.
Mr. Reinmuth comments the starting of the company: "Premium coach manufacturing has still a good chance as well in Germany as abroad to gain substancial market shares. Embedded in the new entrepreneur-like and small scale business concept and backed by the experienced production plant in Pilsting I am very confident to gain success in this market already in midterm. As a devoted bus builder I am looking forward very much to this new and interesting challenge in my job career."
VISEON will manufacture in the former main plant of NEOPLAN Bus GmbH in Pilsting and outsource manufacture to TVM in Maribor. Parts of the Pilsting plant and its manufacturing shops are being used by VISEON. Some 200 skilled workers and personnel of the present production staff will be offered employment in the new company depending on further negotiations.
The first business unit to be concentrated on by VISEON will be trolley buses and airport buses of the NEOPLAN brand. Trolley buses are an interesting mode of emission-free public transport for many of the world's cities, and are fully in line with the current trend to electrification and hybridization in automotive propulsion. The new NEOPLAN airport buses of the N91 series presented in 2005 will continue to be offered by VISEON under the brand name NEOPLAN, and manufactured by TVM at its Maribor plant in Slovenia.
Further to this business unit, VISEON intends to undertake the outsourced manufacture of coaches and the finishing of double-deckers of the brand NEOPLAN, premium buses for MAN and other customers at the Pilsting plant. These include in particular tourist coaches and double-decker buses (tourism and public transport) of the NEOPLAN brand, which to date have already been equipped and finished in Pilsting. Midterm VISEON Bus GmbH will also offer new vehicles under its own name.
The managing director of the new company, resulting from a so called management buy-out, is Joachim Reinmuth (52), who was managing director of NEOPLAN Bus GmbH from 2002 to June 2008. Joachim Reinmuth is here a majority shareholder, and MAN Nutzfahrzeuge holds a minority share.
Mr. Reinmuth comments the starting of the company: "Premium coach manufacturing has still a good chance as well in Germany as abroad to gain substancial market shares. Embedded in the new entrepreneur-like and small scale business concept and backed by the experienced production plant in Pilsting I am very confident to gain success in this market already in midterm. As a devoted bus builder I am looking forward very much to this new and interesting challenge in my job career."
VISEON will manufacture in the former main plant of NEOPLAN Bus GmbH in Pilsting and outsource manufacture to TVM in Maribor. Parts of the Pilsting plant and its manufacturing shops are being used by VISEON. Some 200 skilled workers and personnel of the present production staff will be offered employment in the new company depending on further negotiations.
The first business unit to be concentrated on by VISEON will be trolley buses and airport buses of the NEOPLAN brand. Trolley buses are an interesting mode of emission-free public transport for many of the world's cities, and are fully in line with the current trend to electrification and hybridization in automotive propulsion. The new NEOPLAN airport buses of the N91 series presented in 2005 will continue to be offered by VISEON under the brand name NEOPLAN, and manufactured by TVM at its Maribor plant in Slovenia.
Further to this business unit, VISEON intends to undertake the outsourced manufacture of coaches and the finishing of double-deckers of the brand NEOPLAN, premium buses for MAN and other customers at the Pilsting plant. These include in particular tourist coaches and double-decker buses (tourism and public transport) of the NEOPLAN brand, which to date have already been equipped and finished in Pilsting. Midterm VISEON Bus GmbH will also offer new vehicles under its own name.
