- The Minister of Economy and Industry of the Xunta, Francisco Conde, and the mayor of Vilagarcía de Arousa, Alberto Varela, inaugurated the improvement, modernization, and expansion works of Carsa this morning
- During the event, the president of Grupo Castrosua stated that “the works we are inaugurating today are the result of adapting the facilities” with the aim of being a “clear alternative in the intercity segment”
- The company has invested almost 1 million euros in the works
Santiago, July 13, 2015 – “Our goal is that, within a period not exceeding three years, these facilities will be dedicated solely to the manufacture of medium and long-distance intercity vehicles: our Stellae model.” These are the words of Juan Luis Castro, president of Grupo Castrosua, at the inauguration this morning of the renovation and modernization works of the Carsa production plant, located in the Pontevedra municipality of Vilagarcía de Arousa.
The inauguration of the works, in which the company has invested almost 1 million euros, was attended by – among other authorities – the Minister of Economy and Industry of the Xunta de Galicia, Francisco Conde, and the mayor of Vilagarcía de Arousa, Alberto Varela.
“Your presence is a recognition of a work model and a corporate philosophy, which has allowed us to position ourselves as one of the reference companies, within our country, in the bus and coach body manufacturing sector,” said Juan Luis Castro during the event.
For his part, the Minister of Economy and Industry of the Xunta, Francisco Conde, highlighted Grupo Castrosua’s commitment to innovation as one of the keys to increasing the company’s competitiveness and reaching new markets. Meanwhile, the mayor of Vilagarcía de Arousa expressed his pride in seeing that buses circulating in “different parts of the world” have been bodied at the Carsa facilities.
Works Carried Out
The inaugurated works are the result of adapting the facilities of the Carsa production plant to comply with a strategic decision made by the company in 2012, when Grupo Castrosua resumed its presence in the intercity sector (medium and long distance), with the aim of being a clear alternative in this market segment.
The company decided to exclusively assign the realization of this strategy to Carsa, with the manufacture of the Stellae product range, Grupo Castrosua’s bodywork specifically designed for medium and long distances. This led the organization to design a comprehensive investment plan to adapt the facilities of this factory to its new mission.
“Thus, we have incorporated state-of-the-art technology and machinery to improve Carsa’s competitiveness,” said Juan Luis Castro at the inauguration ceremony.
Among other works, the plant’s layout has been redesigned with a new redistribution of machinery and the installation of overhead cranes, necessary to undertake the new production model.
In addition to this, a workshop has been conditioned for the manufacture of bodywork roofs, allowing operators to work with maximum ergonomics; the factory’s electrical installation has been adapted, and a new priming booth has been designed, as well as new auxiliary facilities to optimize the plant’s operation.
“All these improvements will enable Carsa to guarantee the manufacture of high-quality products, on par with the best current operators,” emphasized the president of Grupo Castrosua.
About the Stellae
The Stellae, of which about 50 units will be manufactured this year, is a solid alternative to the existing offering in the intercity sector, as, in addition to the traditional reliability and robustness that characterizes the group’s vehicles, this model has incorporated new components and materials, taking advantage of the entry into force of the Euro VI regulation, to improve the structural resistance of the vehicles and reduce their weight.
“All this with our constant attention to passenger accessibility and comfort, and something fundamental, the driver’s position,” concluded Juan Luis Castro.
