STADLER has announced plans to establish a subsidiary to carry out final assembly of rail vehicles in Poland.

The Swiss rolling stock manufacturer said it believes Poland possesses ’a rich railway tradition’ and considers it to be ’a very interesting and promising market with a market potential of over 1000 electric railcars, pent-up potential and highly-skilled workers.’

The plant in Siedlce will initially employ around 40 to 50 local staff, who will receive training in Switzerland. Their first project will be assembling 10 four-car Flirt low-floor multiple-units which were ordered by the Mazowsze voivodship in June, and a further four which were ordered by Silesia. The two orders have a total value of SFr100m, with delivery to begin in the autumn of 2007 and continue at a rate of one trainset per month.

Stadler believes that the local share of work on the contracts will increase the company’s competitiveness, and also its chances of winning further orders in Poland. ’In the first stage the factory will work on the current project. Its further development depends on the portfolio of orders’, said Teresa Wisniewska, Stadler’s Polish representative.

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