Supplier evaluation and logistics customer service at Volvo Polska Sp. z o.o. – part 1

Economic changes in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc and the emergence of a potential sales market encouraged Volvo management to start producing their trucks and buses in Central and Eastern Europe. The possibility of cooperation with Czech manufacturers Tatra and Liaz, as well as the Hungarian manufacturer Raba, was considered. Ultimately, the board of Volvo Truck Corporation in Gothenburg decided to start investing in Poland, at the then-existing Jelcz-Laskowice Automotive Plant. Many premises spoke in favor of this solution, including: the high attractiveness of the Polish market, the long-standing tradition of selling Volvo trucks, the attractive location of the Jelcz Automotive Plant (JZS), the modernity of the plant, and the fact that the production profile of the Jelcz-Laskowice Automotive Plant coincided with Volvo’s production profile. In May 1991, negotiations began in Jelcz-Laskowice, and as early as September, representatives of Volvo Truck Corporation and Volvo Bus Corporation signed a letter of intent with JZS representatives, defining, among other things, the cost sharing and the time schedule. In January 1992, the Volvo Truck Corporation sales office was opened in Warsaw, and in August, the company was registered under the name Volvo Truck Corporation Sp. z o.o. That same year, 7 Volvo/Jelcz Ml80 buses were produced in cooperation with JZS using the Austrian Steyr chassis. In November 1993, the assembly of Volvo trucks began in Jelcz. Due to the fact that the Jelcz Automotive Plant was sold (in July 1994) to Sobiesław Zasada SA, Volvo authorities decided to invest independently in Poland. In January 1995, a new truck factory was established in Wrocław. In the same year, the company Volvo Bus Poland Sp. z o.o. was registered, with the following shareholders: 45% Finnish body manufacturer Carrus Oy and 55% Volvo Bus Corporation. In 1995, the first Volvo bus left the Volvo Truck Poland Sp. z o.o. truck factory. At the turn of 1997/1998, Volvo acquired the company Carrus Oy.