Irizar is currently a solid group with geographic and industrial diversification and continuous growth.

José Manuel Orcasitas, Irizar Group Chief Executive Officer, proudly records the group’s 125th anniversary and the road taken to reach this milestone: “We are proud and excited to celebrate this important anniversary at a time of great strength and strong growth within our group.

“Irizar’s history goes back to 1889, when the company started by manufacturing carriage wheels and stagecoaches, followed in the 1920s by building coach bodywork. After its first 74 years as a family business owned by the Irizar family, it became a cooperative company in 1963 and it has remained as such to date.

“The current Irizar Group is the result of countless experiences throughout the years and of the hard work of the many people who, starting with the company’s founder, created the foundation of what we have become,” says Orcasitas. Stronger than ever, Irizar is currently a solid group with geographic and industrial diversification and continuous growth.

The group is firmly committed to the brand, their technology and sustainability, as well as to its coach and electric bus products, and products for the other sectors in which it is involved.

The group has five coach plants located throughout the world, five companies as a result of its indus- trial diversification and a Technology Centre focused on the long-term aspects of applied research and the development of proprietary systems and products.

“Our objective is to guarantee the future, and our mission is to grow while creating wealth and employment. Our belief and hope is for our current efforts to be a small contribution so Irizar may continue to exist for many years, or even forever. Why not?

“However, this year marks our anniversary and we would like to share our pride with all who have formed part of this 125-year history and who will also form part of our future. We would also like to take advantage of this opportunity to present the anniversary website, www.lightingtheroad. com.

It contains a short summary of the company’s history and it will reflect all the special moments that await in 2014, as well as the technological challenges of the future, which is increasingly closer.“

”WITH the first half of the year behind us already and numerous deliveries of our i6 range planned for the remainder of the year, 2014 continues to show positive signs of growth throughout the region,” says Paul Nel, Director at Irizar South Africa. The latest from Irizar – the front-engined i6 coach Showcasing a host of new technologies, the Irizar i6 presents the culmination of over 120 years of coach building experience.

With ‘best in class’ aerodynamics, an advanced, innovative and ergonomic driver station, intense and energyefficient LED lighting both inside and outside, and the latest generation of passenger seats, the i6 establishes a new benchmark in coach design.

The i6 offers stunning aesthetics coupled with comfort and safety, while remaining affordable and serviceable to large fleet owners. With features that are both reliable and cutting edge, the i6 has already proved to be a passenger and driver favourite and a great new addition to the Irizar family.

“The front-engined i6 will be traveling on the Southern Africa roads soon. We’ve received numerous orders from all over the Southern Africa region and the vehicles are in production. We are confident that, with the complete new design and all the improvements made from the Inter Century to the front-engined i6, our existing and new customers and passengers alike would appreciate all these improvements in quality, safety and profitability.

So keep a look-out for these new i6 buses on our roads or contact one of our sales consultants for more information. “We also continue to update our website (www.irizar. co.za) with more news and events relating to our 125th, so please check under our ‘News’ heading to enjoy and celebrate this milestone with us,” says Nel.