The contract was signed by Mr. Māris Ēlerts, Deputy Director of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Mr. Niklaus Huser, Chairman of the Board, and Ms Vineta Priede, Procurist, "Bucher Schoerling Baltic" Ltd, Mr. Aivars Lembergs, Chairman of Ventspils City Council and Mr. Imants Sarmulis, CEO of Free Port of Ventspils.

During the official event of signing the contract, the members of the signatory parties were also given an immediate opportunity to watch the manufacturing cycle at the factory and see the end products.

Since beginning its work in 2005, the company „Bucher Schoerling Baltic” Ltd has been manufacturing components, tanks and containers for large and small street-sweeping vehicles. In the beginning, the company’s factory was located at 28 Kustes dambis, but the company was growing rapidly and so was the need for larger industrial premises. Owing to a positive response from the local municipality and Free Port of Ventspils Authority, in the summer of 2008 all the production facilities were relocated to a new industrial building at 105 Ganību Street. The new industrial building with an area of 4600 m2 and the appurtenant territory of 50'000 m2 have been granted for the company on lease by Free Port of Ventspils Authority. The new factory has provided for sophisticated work stations and, currently, jobs for 55 workers.

Some time ago, it was decided to launch manufacturing of new-generation street-sweeping vehicles and to expand the production process of „Bucher Schoerling Baltic” Ltd by taking up metal working, welding and surface treatment operations. Thus, the factory in Ventspils would provide for a complete manufacturing cycle.

In order to provide for the planned expansion, the investment project „Bucher Schoerling Baltic Ltd Engineering Factory Development Project for Manufacturing Higher Value Added Products” is being implemented. The total project costs are planned at LVL 3.6 million (LVL 1.0 million for a new hall and LVL 2.6 million for production equipment respectively), LVL 1.4 million of which are expected to be appropriated from the EU Structural Funds.

Within the project, it is planned to build a new industrial building of 2754 m2. Owing to the EU support, investment will be made into new and sophisticated production technologies – a production line for welding, assembly and product testing will be set up, equipment for metal working (laser cutting, folding, rolling + mechanical treatment) and surface treatment (with sand blasting, wet lacquering cabins, powder coating) will be installed, as well as the relevant information technologies set up.

With the implementation of the project, additional 40-50 jobs will be created, the new production processes will run based on sophisticated technologies, an overall environmentally-friendly conception with ergonomic work stations will be introduced, as well as a modern computer-based production and logistics conception „Complete manufacturing cycle of the product within 2.5 weeks” will be launched.

The new industrial building is scheduled to be built by 31.10.2010, and by 01.11.2010 it will see manufacturing of the new-generation street-sweeping vehicles launched.

The successful development of „Bucher Schoerling Baltic” Ltd has been built upon an outstanding support on behalf of Ventspils City Council and Free Port of Ventspils Authority, highly motivated staff with very good foreign language skills, favourable conditions for manufacturing and high flexibility, decrease in the planned production costs and meeting the quality standards at the own assembly factory.

“Bucher Schoerling Baltic” Ltd is a subsidiary company of the communal vehicle manufacturer “Bucher Municipal”, which belongs to the Switzerland-based Group “Bucher Industries AG” and delivers its products worlwide. The „Bucher Industries AG” is the largest in the world manufacturer of components and fully assembled communal vehicles, as well as winter specialized vehicle superstructures and airport- cleaning vehicles, with markets in Europe, the USA, Australia and Asia.