SLOVAK rolling stock manufacturer ZOS Trnava paid 140m dinara for the Serbian state's 77·5% stake in wagon and carriage supplier Gosa on January 26. ZOS Trnava plans to use the Gosa factory in Smederevska Palanka to relieve capacity constraints at its plant in Slovakia. It expects to invest a further €4·5m in the company, and says none of the 630 staff will be laid off.
In another sale, Trieste-based Friulexport has paid €15m for the Vagonka, Lokomotiva and Special Vehicles units of Nis-based MIN Holding group. The Italian firm will invest €1·3m modernising production processes at the three companies, which will continue to be operated separately.
In the next stage of the Serbian government's privatisation process, investors have until March 30 to bid for a 70% stake in the Zelvoz rolling stock plant in Smederevo. Purchasers must have at three years experience of rolling stock production or maintenance and annual revenues of more than €10m. Serbian Railways is the main customer of Zelvoz, which reported revenues of €6·1m in 2005.
