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ŠKODA TRANSPORTATION a.s.

Škoda logo
Type	Private
Industry	Conglomerates
Founded	1859
Founder(s)	Emil Škoda
Headquarters	Plzeň, Czech Republic
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Marek Čmela Jiří Diviš Tomáš Krsek Michal Korecký Jaromír Šilhánek
Products	electric locomotives low-floor trams underground trains trolleybuses
Revenue	$1 billion (18.6 billion CZK)[1] (2009)
Operating income	$195 million (3.6 billion CZK) [2]
Net income	$159 million (2.9 billion CZK)[2] (2008)
Total assets	$1.1 billion (20.4 billion CZK)[2] (2008)
Employees	3,600
Website	www.skoda.cz

Škoda Works (Czech: Škodovy závody; today ŠKODA TRANSPORTATION a.s. plus a variety of other companies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia whose names still contain the name Škoda) was the largest industrial enterprise in Austria-Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia, one of its successor states. It was also one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Europe in the 20th century. The current successor Škoda Holding is focused on transport vehicle manufacturing; some companies no longer connected with it use the brand Škoda in other industries.

History[link]

1859 to 1899: establishment of Škoda[link]

The company was founded by the noble Waldstein family in 1859 and was bought by Emil Škoda in Plzeň during 1869. It soon established itself as Austria-Hungary's leading arms manufacturer producing heavy guns for the navy, mountain guns or mortars along with the Škoda M1909 machine gun as one of its noted products. Besides producing arms for the Austro-Hungarian military, Škoda also manufactured locomotives, aircraft, ships, machine tools, steam turbines and equipment for power utilities and still do so to this day. In 1859, Count Wallenstein-Vartenberk set up a branch of his foundry and engineering works in Plzeň. The output of the plant, employing over a hundred workers, included machinery and equipment for sugar mills, breweries, mines, steam engines, boilers, iron bridge structures, and railway facilities. In 1869, the plant was taken over by Emil Škoda, an industrious engineer and dynamic entrepreneur.

Škoda was quick to expand business, and in the 1880s founded what was then a very modern steelworks capable of delivering castings weighing dozens of tons. Steel castings and, later, forgings for larger passenger liners and warships went on to rank alongside the sugar mills as the top export branches of Škoda's factory.

1899 to 1945: before and during World War II[link]

Škoda 75 mm Model 15

Panzer 35(t) tank

In 1899, the ever expanding business was transformed into a joint-stock company, and before the First World War Škoda Works became the largest arms manufacturer in Austria-Hungary. It was a navy and army contractor, mainly supplying heavy guns and ammunition.

Exports included castings, such as part of the piping for the Niagara Falls power plant or for the Suez Canal sluices, as well as machinery for sugar mills in Turkey, breweries throughout Europe, and guns for the Far East and South America.

The First World War brought a drop in the output of peacetime products. Huge sums were invested into expanding production capacities. By this time, Škoda Works already held majorities in a number of companies in the Czech lands and abroad that were not involved in arms manufacture. In 1917, the company had 35,000 employees in Plzeň alone.

Following the emergence of the Czecho-Slovak Republic in 1918, in the complex economic conditions of post-war Europe the company was transformed from what was exclusively an arms manufacturer into a multi-sector concern. In addition to traditional branches, the production programme embraced a number of new concepts, such as steam (and later electric) locomotives, freight and passenger vehicles, aircraft, ships, machine tools, steam turbines, power-engineering equipment, etc.

In 1923, the company's world-famous registered trademark—the winged arrow in a circle—was entered in the Companies Register. The deteriorating political situation in Europe saw arms production rise again in the mid-thirties.

Škoda manufactured the world's first triple-barrelled gun turrets for the Tegetthoff class of battleships of the Austro-Hungarian navy. Prior to World War II Škoda also produced LT-35 and LT-38 tanks, which are better known under their German labels Panzer 35(t) and Panzer 38(t). These tanks were originally produced for the Czechoslovak army and their production continued during the occupation by Nazi Germany. They were used extensively by the Wehrmacht in the Polish campaign, the Battle of France and also in German invasion of the Soviet Union.

In 1924, Škoda Works acquired the Laurin-Klement car manufacturer, later known as Škoda Auto. Both companies became separated after 1945, when the entire Czechoslovak economy came under government control.

1945 to 1989: after World War II[link]

ES499.1 locomotive

Škoda 14 Tr trolley bus in Vilnius

After WWII, in 1945 (the year when nationalisation efforts began in Czechoslovakia and when the Communists started to come to power) Škoda was nationalized and many sections were split from the company (e.g. the car works in Mladá Boleslav (Škoda Auto), the aircraft plant in Prague, some factories in Slovakia, and other plants producing food-industry equipment). The company was renamed Závody Vladimíra Iljiče Lenina (Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Plants) in 1951, but since the new name caused losses of sales abroad, the name was changed back to Škoda in 1953. The factory concentrated on markets in the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. The company produced a wide range of heavy machinery such as nuclear reactors and locomotives. A lack of updates to its product designs and infrastructure considerably weakened the company's competitive position and its brand.

After 1962, Škoda became well known in the USSR and other countries as a trolley bus manufacturer, beginning to export Škoda 9 Tr, one of its most successful models. The successor, Škoda 14 Tr, manufactured between 1982 and 1997, is still widely used, for example, in post-Soviet states.

In 1978 the company was turned into the government-owned group of companies ("koncern") Škoda. It was based in Plzeň and consisted of the companies: První brněnská strojírna [First Machine Works of Brno], ČKD Blansko, ČKD Dukla Praha-Karlín in Prague, Slovenské energetické strojárne S. M. Kirova [Slovak S. M. Kirov Energy Machine Works] in Tlmače, and Výzkumný ústav energetických zařízení [Energy Facilities Research Institute] in Brno.

1989 to date: after the fall of communism[link]

The latest model of Škoda tram—Škoda 15 T featuring 100% low floor, pivoting bogies and 999,9HP

Hall of transportation section, parts of tram Škoda 14 T on left, modernized metro wagon 81-71 on right.

After the Communist Party lost power in late 1989, the company was privatized into the hands of management. Mismanagement and asset-stripping led to a collapse—the company was restructured and some factories closed. Except for some smaller companies named Škoda and Škoda Auto, after the chaotic 1990s period, the Czech Škoda companies were again regrouped within the holding company Škoda Holding a.s. in 2000. In 2010, the holding company changed its name to Škoda Investment, a.s..

Following the change in the political climate in 1989, Škoda started along a path of privatization, and used this time to come up with an optimal production programme, making new business contacts, and looking for markets other than those that had so far been its priority markets, i.e. the Communist Bloc countries and the Soviet Union, which collapsed after 1989.

In 1991, a foreign partner for the passenger car works Škoda Auto a.s. was sought by the Czech government. Volkswagen was chosen, and the German firm initially took a 30% stake, rising to 100% ownership by 1999. Škoda Auto is now a completely independent entity from other companies bearing the Škoda name.

In 1992, the company was privatized by the so-called Czech method. It began expanding its production activities, acquiring the TATRA and LIAZ vehicle works and constructing a plant to produce aluminum soft drink cans. This expansion put the company's financial stability in jeopardy. In 1999, it concluded an agreement with creditor banks, and restructuring of the entire capital structure of the Škoda group was undertaken. The result was legal and financial stability at the company. Currently a sectoral restructuring of production companies in the group is under way. In April 2000, Škoda Holding, a.s. took over the helm, controlling nineteen primary subsidiaries and most product lines.

In 2003, the Czech government sold its 49% stake to the Appian Group for 350 CZK million,^[3] later that year the Appian Group acquired the rest of its stake in a liquidation of the previous owner.^[4] The Appian Group is a holding company incorporated in the Netherlands and controlled through a screen of shell companies. The real owner or owners are unknown, despite investigations by the Czech police.^[5] In September 2010, a group of four managers (current or former Škoda or Appian managers) announced that they would acquire Škoda from Appian for an undisclosed price.^[6][7] The Czech media speculated that the acquisition was only a formality, as the managers probably owned the parent company Appian.^[7][8]

Škoda has recently focussed solely on the transport sector. Other divisions have been sold, a large part of them to the Russian company OMZ (the price was not published, estimated at around 1 CZK billion).^[9] Simultaneously some smaller transport companies were acquired, for example a part of the Hungarian company Ganz, VÚKV (owner of the Velim railway test circuit) and some transport-related assets of the former ČKD, now called Škoda Vagonka. Finally, in 2009, Škoda holding announced that the South Korean conglomerate Doosan will acquire its power section for 11,5 CZK billion ($656 million).^[9][10]

Present production[link]

The power division (being sold to Doosan) produces steam turbines, heat exchangers and condensers.

The transportation division produces trolleybuses, tramcars, electric locomotives, electric multiple units and rapid transit train systems.

Products[link]

Product	Picture	Type	Operator
Škoda 109 E ČD Class 380		electric locomotive	ČD ZSSK
ČD Class 471 LG Class 575 ZSSK Class 671 UZ Class 675		electric multiple unit	ČD LG ZSSK UZ
Škoda 7Ev ČD Class 650		electric multiple unit	ČD
VR Class Dm12		railcar	VR
Škoda Elektra Škoda 14 T Škoda 13 T Škoda 16 T Škoda 19 T Škoda 25 T		tram	Prague Brno Wrocław Miskolc
Škoda ForCity Škoda 15 T		tram	Prague Riga

See also[link]

• Category:Škoda locomotives
• Category:Škoda trams
• Electric Transit, Inc.
• List of the largest artificial non-nuclear explosions

References[link]

1. ^ E15: Škodu Transportation získal šéf Krsek a další manažeři
2. ^ ^{a b c} Škoda Holding Annual Report 2008
3. ^ Vláda schválila prodej Škody Holding americké Appian Machinery
4. ^ Rozhodnutí OF/S264/02-215/03
5. ^ Janoušek - stopa, které se mnozí bojí
6. ^ lidovky.cz: Velké tajemství českého byznysu odhaleno: plzeňská Škoda odkryla majitele
7. ^ ^{a b} ihned.cz: Plzeňskou Škodu koupili čtyři manažeři. Appian v pozadí ale dál zůstává v mlze
8. ^ motejlek.com: Krsek, Korecký, Čmejla a Diviš koupili firmu, která byla už dávno jejich
9. ^ ^{a b} Jihokorejský Doosan smí převzít Škodu Power
10. ^ Bloomberg - Doosan Buys Škoda Power, its Biggest Purchase Abroad (Update1)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Škoda Works

• Official website
• History of Škoda in photos: part 1, part 2, part 3 (photo descriptions in Czech)
• History of Škoda from corporate website: [1]^{[dead link]}

Freddy Loix

Personal information
Nationality	Belgian
Born	(1970-11-10) 10 November 1970 (age 41)
World Rally Championship record
Active years	1993 – present
Teams	Toyota, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Peugeot
Rallies	86
Championships	0
Rally wins	0
Podiums	3
Stage wins	34
Total points	88

Freddy Loix (born 10 November 1970 in Tongeren, Belgium) is a Belgian rally driver.

Career[link]

Loix driving a Peugeot 307 WRC.

Loix's career in motor sport began in karting at the age of 15. In 1990, he bought his first rally car, a Lancia Delta group N, though he soon progressed to a Mitsubishi Galant Group N.

1993 saw a big step forward in Loix's career as he became part of the Marlboro World Championship Team driving an Opel Astra and he became the Belgian F2-champion.

Nicknamed Fast Freddy by his fans, he made the switch to four wheel drive in 1996 with a Toyota Celica GT-Four and completed 3 WRC events and a further 6 in 1997. This period saw continuing sponsorship with Marlboro and a switch to the new Toyota Corolla WRC. He took the lead in the 1997 Sanremo Rally but mechanical problems brought an end to his charge for victory.

Loix and his co-driver, Sven Smeets, moved to Mitsubishi in 1999 and campaigned a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI (which was badged as a Carisma GT). His first year with Mitsubishi proved to be a difficult one with Loix being injured in a horrific accident during the Safari Rally. Despite the setback, Loix fought back and achieved 4 fourth places (in Spain, Greece, Sanremo and Australia).

Loix at 2011 Rallye Monte Carlo with Škoda Fabia S2000.

In 2001, and after several successful seasons, the Mitsubishi Lancer, being a Group A car, found itself outdated and incapable of competing on the same level as the new WRC cars that the other teams were running.

Loix signed a two-year contract with Hyundai at the start of 2002. This was a difficult season in the Hyundai Accent WRC and his best result was 6th place on the Rally Australia. Due to funding cutbacks in 2003, the team couldn't develop the car further and Hyundai retired from the WRC following 2003's Rally Australia.

A drive for Peugeot in the last rally of the 2003 calendar, the RAC Rally in Great Britain,not only saw him replace the by then ailing 2001 World Rally Champion Richard Burns, it also saw him finish in 6th place overall in that year's rally. In the 2004 season, Loix completed only 5 WRC events, all for the private Marlboro team and in a Peugeot 307 WRC before retiring from the World rally Championship later that season after the 2004 Rally Catalunya.^[1] Since 2007 Loix has been competing in the FIA Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) with Peugeot Sport Belgium, driving a Peugeot 207 S2000. Loix is currently the most successful driver in IRC with a total of seven wins, including a hat trick in 2010.^[2][3]

Results[link]

WRC results[link]

IRC results[link]

Year	Entrant	Car	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	WDC	Points
2006	Duindisteel	Citroen C2 S1600	RSA	YPR 4	MAD	ITA									13th	5
2007	Belgian VW club	VW Polo S2000	SAF	TUR	YPR Ret										16th	5
	Freddy Loix	Fiat Abarth Grande Punto S2000				RUS	MAD Ret	ZLI Ret	SAN 11	VAL 4	CHN
2008	Peugeot Team Benelux	Peugeot 207 S2000	IST 8	POR Ret	YPR 1	RUS 4	MAD 6	ZLI 1	AST 3	SAN 5	VAL 1	CHN			2nd	48
2009	Peugeot Team Benelux	Peugeot 207 S2000	MON 2	CUR 4	SAF	AZO 4	YPR 3	RUS	MAD 6	ZLI Ret	AST 6	ITA 4	SCO		3rd	37
2010	Škoda Motorsport	Škoda Fabia S2000	MON	CUR	ARG	CAN	SAR	YPR 1	AZO	MAD 1	ZLI 1	SAN 3	SCO	CYP	4th	36
2011	Škoda Motorsport	Škoda Fabia S2000	MON 2	CAN 4	COR 3	YAL	YPR 1	AZO	ZLI 2	MEC 3	SAN Ret	SCO	CYP 5		4th	123

• * Season in progress.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Online archive of rally results
• FreddyLoix.com Homepage
• Rallybase stat page
• World Rally Archive stat page