| abstract
| - Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec. The company manufactures a full range of bus types from minibuses to double deckers, from three sites, the primary sites being in Leeds (the former Leyland Bus site) and Blackburn, with a further facility in Rotherham. Luxury mini-coaches are imported from Spain and sold as Optare branded products. As well as bus manufacturing, the group operates a sales division, and the Unitec after-market parts and service network covering the UK. The Optare name originated in 1985 from the remnants of the Roe operation, in a time of changing and challenging market conditions for UK bus manufacturers, following the break up of the nationalised manufacturing industry dominated by British Leyland and its subsidiaries, and the break up of the traditional home markets through the deregulation of bus services and privatisation of the Scottish Bus Group, National Bus Company, PTE operations and many municipal companies. In the consequent upheaval in markets and demand through the 1980 and 90s, the Optare business underwent several changes in management. Although it never rose to the order book numbers of the larger post-1980s manufacturers such as Volvo or Dennis, Optare benefited from the opportunity to develop close relationships with particular customers not necessarily tied to larger suppliers, through political or corporate ties. Wilts & Dorset and Reading Buses became notable loyal Optare customers, with several high profile new London operators also choosing Optare as a market differentiator, such as Harris Bus's use of the Optare Excel. Optare also introduced several technological innovations, with an early electric buses trial, introducing the first UK low-floor double decker, the Optare Spectra, and the ground breaking Optare Solo ("so low") low floor midibus, both in 1997. Optare has developed both body on chassis products and integral designs, and has also exported a number of models. Optare products originally continued on from the inherited Roe models before creating their own designs. Other models were continuations and developments of designs purchased from Metro Cammell Weymann. Optare's own unique products began with a minibus in 1986. It went on to develop several models which were considered stylish compared to contemporary offerings, which initially suffering from a perception of old age due to lack of development. The pattern of stylish designs continued into the 2000s, but with increased competition from other manufacturers and imported designs. In 2008 Optare accepted a complete buyout by an investment firm owned by Roy Stanley, chairman of the Darwen Group, leading to the Darwen takeover a few months later. In July 2008 the Darwen Group took over the much larger Optare Group Ltd to form the AIM listed company Optare plc, employing 830 people and with a £90million turnover. With the respective histories of the two entities, Optare plc can be considered the successor company to the historical British bus manufacturers Charles H. Roe (through Optare), founded in Leeds in 1923, and East Lancashire Coachbuilders, (through Darwen), founded in 1934 in Blackburn. The Darwen takeover led to the return of double deck designs to Optare since the last Spectra was built in 2005, joining the predominantly single deck and below production of Optare with the predominantly double deck production of Darwen. It also brought further design expertise in the form of Darwen LPD, the former Leyland/Volvo research division, with an expectation to be launching new hybrid models by the end of 2008. In 2010, Ashok Leyland of India purchased a 26% share of the company. They upped the investment to 75% of Optare in Dec. 2011.
- Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and importer based in Leeds and Blackburn, UK. The company operates from three main business units, Bus Manufacturing, Coach Sales and Unitec. The company manufactures a full range of bus types from minibuses to double deckers, from three sites, the primary sites being in Leeds (the former Leyland Bus site) and Blackburn, with a further facility in Rotherham. Luxury mini-coaches are imported from Spain and sold as Optare branded products. As well as bus manufacturing, the group operates a sales division, and the Unitec after-market parts and service network covering the UK. The Optare name originated in 1985 from the remnants of the Roe operation, in a time of changing and challenging market conditions for UK bus manufacturers, following the break up of the nationalised manufacturing industry dominated by British Leyland and its subsidiaries, and the break up of the traditional home markets through the deregulation of bus services and privatisation of the Scottish Bus Group, National Bus Company, PTE operations and many municipal companies. In the consequent upheaval in markets and demand through the 1980s and 1990s, the Optare business underwent several changes in management. Although it never rose to the order book numbers of the larger post-1980s manufacturers such as Volvo or Dennis, Optare benefited from the opportunity to develop close relationships with particular customers not necessarily tied to larger suppliers, through political or corporate ties. Wilts & Dorset and Reading Buses became notable loyal Optare customers, with several high profile new London operators also choosing Optare as a market differentiator, such as Harris Bus's use of the Optare Excel. Optare also introduced several technological innovations, with an early electric buses trial, introducing the first UK low-floor double decker, the Optare Spectra, and the ground breaking Optare Solo ("so low") low floor midibus, both in 1997. Optare has developed both body on chassis products and integral designs, and has also exported a number of models. Optare products originally continued on from the inherited Roe models before creating their own designs. Other models were continuations and developments of designs purchased from Metro Cammell Weymann. Optare's own unique products began with a minibus in 1986. It went on to develop several models which were considered stylish compared to contemporary offerings, which initially suffering from a perception of old age due to lack of development. The pattern of stylish designs continued into the 2000s, but with increased competition from other manufacturers and imported designs. In 2008 Optare accepted a complete buyout by an investment firm owned by Roy Stanley, chairman of the Darwen Group, leading to the Darwen takeover a few months later. In July 2008 the Darwen Group took over the much larger Optare Group Ltd to form the AIM listed company Optare plc, employing 830 people and with a £90million turnover. With the respective histories of the two entities, Optare plc can be considered the successor company to the historical British bus manufacturers Charles H. Roe (through Optare), founded in Leeds in 1923, and East Lancashire Coachbuilders, (through Darwen), founded in 1934 in Blackburn. The Darwen takeover led to the return of double deck designs to Optare since the last Spectra was built in 2005, joining the predominantly single deck and below production of Optare with the predominantly double deck production of Darwen. It also brought further design expertise in the form of Darwen LPD, the former Leyland/Volvo research division, with an expectation to be launching new hybrid models by the end of 2008.
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