Environmental pressure in fragmented markets: the fall and rise of bus makers in Poland

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Abstract:

The authors explore differences in the strategies and capabilities of foreign and domestic bus-makers located in Poland, in an attempt to capture the factors behind the radical changes in the structure and geography of this sector in the country. This includes the decline of traditional bus manufacturers and the rise of new foreign and domestic manufacturers, including the successful expansion of Solaris as one of the major European manufacturers of environmentally-friendly buses. Growing environmental pressure along with a need for new technologies in bus manufacturing is interpreted as a window of opportunity for a reconfiguration of the bus manufacturing industry in Europe. The importance of flexibility and willingness to meet specific customer needs in the fragmented national and local markets is emphasized.