| Škoda Transportation a.s. | |
| Type: | Joint-stock company |
| Predecessor: | Škoda Works (founded 1859) |
| Founder: | Emil Škoda (as Škoda Works) |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Key People: | Petr Novotny (CEO and chairman of the board)) [1] Tomáš Ignačák (deputy chairman of the board) Zdeněk Sváta (member of the board) Jaromír Urbanek (Site Director Škoda Transportation) Jaroslav Zoch (member of the supervisory board) Michal Korecký (member of the supervisory board) |
| Industry: | Rail transport machinery |
| Products: | electric locomotives multiple units low-floor trams underground trains trolleybuses battery electric buses hybrid electric buses |
| Revenue: | 34,4 billion CZK (entire group, 2023) |
| Num Employees: | 5 887 (2023) |
| Parent: | PPF |
| Subsid: | See list |
| Homepage: | www.skodagroup.com |
| Footnotes: | [2] [3] |
| Foundation: | 1995 |
| Location: | Plzeň, Czech Republic |
Škoda Transportation a.s. is a Czech engineering company that continues the legacy of Škoda Works' rolling stock manufacturing that started at the end of 19th century in Plzeň. Following the first world war, the Works commenced locomotive production in a separate factory dedicated to that purpose. This factory became a separate company in the 1990s. Today, Škoda Transportation develops and manufactures electric rail vehicles for urban and railway transport.
Škoda Transportation fully or partially owns a number of other companies active in the field of development and manufacturing of rolling stock, electric motors and related products in several European countries. In April 2018, the European Commission cleared purchase of the group by PPF, a financial and investment group incorporated in the Netherlands.[4] Currently, Petr Novotny is the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Škoda Transportation, appointed in October 2023.
Škoda Transportation group of companies is among the world's largest manufacturers of trams and propulsion units for trolleybuses and a significant regional producer of railway vehicles.
The company was entered into the Commercial Register on 1 March 1995 as ŠKODA DOPRAVNÍ TECHNIKA s. r. o., operating under the name ŠKODA TRANSPORTATION s.r.o. from 10 December 2004 and since 1 April 2009 in its current legal form as a joint stock company. [5] Between 1995 and 2001, Škoda Transportation was owned by ŠKODA a. s. (Company ID No. 00213101) and then from 2003 on by ŠKODA HOLDING a. s. (Company ID No. 26163632, formerly Divide et impera a.s.). In 2006 Škoda Holding was dissolved through merger by acquisition with HQU International, a.s. (Company ID No. 26502399), which was later renamed Škoda Holding (and subsequently renamed ŠKODA INVESTMENT a.s. in 2010).
In 2003, the parent company Škoda Holding was purchased by Appian Group, a company based in the Netherlands with an unclear ownership structure. They initiated restructuring of the company with the aim of focusing on only two main fields of production - conventional power generation and transportation engineering. [6] In 2004, Škoda JS, Škoda Kovárny and Škoda Hutě were sold off, followed in 2009 by Škoda Power, [7] leaving Škoda Holding nothing more than an empty shell. Škoda Transportation itself acquired several companies in the transport sector and established itself as the main pillar of the group, drawing up consolidated financial statements for the first time in 2010 and achieving consolidated sales of CZK 12.1 billion.[8]
In 2010, ŠKODA HOLDING a.s. (Company ID No. 28423518, formerly BTY Czech, a.s.) became the owner of Škoda Transportation, followed in 2011 by SKODA INDUSTRY (EUROPE) with registered office in Cyprus, which was renamed CEIL (CENTRAL EUROPE INDUSTRIES) LTD in 2013. In November 2017, PPF Group signed a contract to acquire a 100 % stake in Škoda Transportation and other assets, among others the Škoda registered trademark.[9] The final price was made public in June 2018 and amounted to € 326 million, which is the equivalent of CZK 8.3 billion using the exchange rate in April 2018.[10] In June 2022, the parent group PPF announced that it had sold the rights to the Škoda logo and brand to Škoda Auto, whereas the Pilsen-based company is allowed to use the current name under licence until 2029. The news portal Seznam Zprávy reported in December 2023 that, according to Škoda Transportation’s annual report and information from other sources, it concluded that the undisclosed purchase price for the Škoda logo and brand was at least CZK 4 billion.[11]
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| assets(bil. Kč) | 26,1 | 25,7 | 24,9 | 24,4 | 23,9 | 23,9 | 23,0 | 23,6 | 23,2 | 24,2 | 27,5 | 25,8 | 35,3 | |
| revenue (bil. Kč) | 12,1 | 15,7 | 15,3 | 14,6 | 16,4 | 18,3 | 17,7 | 11,8 | 11,6 | 11,3 | 9,7 | 11,1 | 15,2 | |
| EBIT (bil. Kč) | 3,9 | 4,1 | 3,8 | 2,1 | 3,2 | 1,8 | 2,3 | 0,9 | 3,9 | 0,4 | 0,3 | 1,1 | 1,2 | |
| net income (bil. Kč) | 3,3 | 3,4 | 3,1 | 1,8 | 2,3 | 0,6 | 1,6 | 0,3 | 0,3 | -0,4 | -1,4 | 0,6 | 3,5 | |
| dividend paid (bil. Kč) | 4,5 | 6,2 | 2,9 | 3,0 | 1,5 | 5,0 | 1,2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,5 |
In April 2010, ŠKODA HOLDING a.s. (Company ID No. 28423518, formerly BTY Czech, a.s.) became the owner of Škoda Transportation.[13] On 20 September 2010, it was announced that Škoda Transportation had been sold by Appian Group to four individuals, these being two managers from Appian (Marek Čmejla and Jiří Diviš) and two managers from Škoda Holding (Tomáš Krsek and Michal Korecký). The likely new owners announced that they were considering listing the company’s shares on the stock exchange. [14] According to some media reports, this was merely a formality, as these owners had long controlled the Appian Group subsidiary.[15] In November 2011, Jaromír Šilhánek, director of the subsidiary Škoda Electric, joined the ranks of the shareholders, and the company acquired three more shareholders in 2012. The first was Josef Bernard, who started at Škoda as a technician and later became the director of Škoda Transportation, and the other two were Marek Krsek and Tomáš Ignačák, associated mainly with Pars nova. Michal Kurtinec became the ninth shareholder in 2014. In January 2015, Josef Bernard was replaced by Tomáš Ignačák.[16] Petr Brzezina was appointed CEO after takeover of the company by PPF Group.[17]
From March 2011, the sole shareholder of Škoda Transportation entered in the Commercial Register was Skoda Industry (Europe) which was supposed to have been controlled by the above-mentioned owners.[18] It was, however, owned by Maranex Finance, a company registered in the Marshall Islands and Conitor Terra, a company registered in Guernsey.[19] Skoda Industry (Europe) was renamed CEIL (Central Europe Industries) in 2013.[20] Škoda Transportation paid dividends totalling over CZK 16 billion to its unknown owners between 2010 and 2013.[21] In 2015, 98.75 % of the shares of the sole shareholder were indirectly held by Tomáš Krsek, Michal Korecký, Marek Čmejla and Jiří Diviš.[22] The company has several long-term loan agreements with its sole shareholder and in 2015, the company owed this shareholder CZK 2 billion at an interest rate of 10 % p. a.[23]
The Chinese CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive (中车株洲电力机车有限公司), a subsidiary of the Chinese CRRC Corporation Limited (中国中车股份有限公司), was interested in purchasing Škoda Transportation for a long time.[24] According to the then Minister of Industry Jan Mládek, this potential buyer demanded a guarantee that the privatisation of Škoda Transportation had been performed in an incontestable manner, which he refused to provide. Later, Siemens made a bid for Škoda Transportation and there was speculation that the Energetický a průmyslový holding group was interested in buying it. The contract for purchase of shares in Škoda Transportation and related assets was in the end concluded by PPF Group in November 2017.[25] The transaction was finalised in April 2018 for a total amount of EUR 326 million. [26] On 7 May 2019, PPF Group announced that it had sold its 10 % stake in Škoda Transportation. The price was not disclosed.[27]
As a part of its shift towards non-military production, the Works earmarked a portion of its facilities for manufacturing of locomotives.[28] The production started following an order for 30 locomotives for Czechoslovakia. The first Škoda locomotive left the factory on 11 June 1920. Meanwhile, Škoda gained a major contract for production of 80 and refurbishment of 500 locomotives for Romania. Due to the Romanian order Škoda regained banks' confidence which provided the company with financing to survive through the immediate post-war years. The locomotive factory became one of the company's main pillars.[28]
The company produced its 100th locomotive on 13 September 1921. In 1927 Škoda produced its first express electric locomotive which was followed by the introduction of electric freight locomotives. While electric locomotives were used on electrified lines within Prague, the company further produced electric locomotives with batteries for use within factory areas. Also in 1927, Škoda started production of diesel locomotives and diesel express trains. In the 1930s, the locomotive factory was producing on average 3 locomotives a month with third of the production for export.[29]
Meanwhile, in another factory building situated in Plzeň, Škoda started producing electrical propulsion units for trams in the early 1920s. In 1936 the company started producing the model 3Tr, 6Tr, 7Tr, 8Tr, 9Tr trolleybuses.
Production of locomotives as well as trolleybuses continued during the company's period of nationalization after the WW2. After fall of communism in 1989, Škoda Works were transformed into a joint stock company, the assets of which were later diversified into several separate entities, among them also Škoda Dopravní Technika s. r. o. which included the rolling stock factory in Plzeň and which was renamed to Škoda Transportation in 2004.
In the early 1990s, the company started working also on refurbishment of trams, which was followed by introduction of its first own tram design in 1997, the low-floor Škoda 03 T.
The Czech Republic sold Škoda Transportation to private owners in 2002. While in private hands, the company extended its reach by purchasing stock in other companies that are active in production and R&D of rolling stock in Europe. Today, Škoda Transportation group of companies is one of the world's largest manufacturers of trams and propulsion units for trolleybuses as well as a significant regional producer of locomotives and electric trains.
Škoda Transportation a.s. subsidiaries and affiliated companies
| Name | Stake | Place | Focus | Turnover CZK (2016) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Škoda Transportation a.s. | parent | Plzeň, Czech Republic | rolling stock manufacturer locomotives, multiple units, trams | 7.721.594.000 | |
| Škoda Vagonka a.s. | 100 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | rolling stock manufacturer passenger cars, multiple units Company founded in 1900 as Staudinger Waggonfabrik A.G. | 2.031.624.000 | |
| Ganz-Skoda Electric Ltd. | 100 | Budapest, Hungary | rolling stock manufacturer | ||
| OOO Vagonmaš | 51 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | rolling stock manufacturer | ||
| Škoda Transtech | 100 | Oulu, Finland | rolling stock manufacturer | 2.874.658.000 | |
| Škoda Electric a.s. | 100 | Plzeň, Czech Republic | electric drives and traction motors for trolleybuses, locomotives, multiple units, trams | 2.498.656.000 | |
| Škoda Pars a.s. | 100 | Šumperk, Czech Republic | rolling stock renovations, repairs and refurbishment | 2.553.419.000 | |
| Movo spol. s r.o. | 100 | Plzeň, Czech Republic | rolling stock renovations, repairs and refurbishment | 57.908.000 | |
| POLL, s.r.o. | 100 | Prague, Czech Republic | development and manufacturing of electronic systems for applications in power electronics and other fields of electrical engineering | 124.517.000 | |
| Škoda TVC s.r.o. | 100 | Plzeň, Czech Republic | production and installation of repeated single piece or small series of parts and subassemblies, especially for rail technique, machine tools and power industry | 184.004.000 | |
| Lokel s.r.o. | 100 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | development and manufacturing of railway vehicle control systems | 61.036.000 | |
| Škoda City Service s.r.o. | 100 | Plzeň, Czech Republic | City of Plzeň public transport service operator | 259.880.000 | |
| Škoda Polska sp. z o.o. | 100 | Warsaw, Poland | Company representing the companies of Škoda Transportation group in the Polish market[30] | ||
| Skoda Transportation USA, LLC | 100 | Baltimore, MD, USA | represents group's interests in the US market | ||
| SKODA Transportation Deutschland GmbH | 75 | Munich, Germany | sales/technical support/maintenance unit responsible for business development in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.[31] | ||
| OOO Skoda-R | 99 | Moscow, Russia | |||
| PRAGOIMEX a.s. | 32 | Prague, Czech Republic | rolling stock manufacturer trams | ||
| Zaporizkiy Elektrovoz | 49 | Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine | |||
| TEMSA | 50 | Adana, Turkey | manufacturer of buses, midibuses, and light-trucks |
The group of companies employed close to 5,600 people in 2015, with revenues reaching CZK 17 billion.
See main article: List of Škoda Transportation products.
Škoda Transportation and the University of West Bohemia run Techmania Science Center in Plzeň. The exhibition is annually visited by tens of thousands of schoolchildren and students who learn about various principles of mathematics and physics in an engaging way. The science center also includes a number of historical Škoda rolling stock products.[32] [33]