Tatra ups 2006 sales by 28 pct, sells 300 lorries more

Koprivnice- Czech lorry maker Tatra raised sales by a preliminary 28 percent year-on-year to Kc3.647 billion in 2006, data from Tatra’s company bulletin have shown. Tatra sold 1,607 lorries, a growth of 300 units on the year, including knocked-down vehicles. It did not disclose any details on profits. An analysis of last year’s performance shows Tatra raised sales to Russia and India markedly. Sales to the Czech and Slovak markets grew as well. New markets included Australia and Madagascar in 2006. US company Terex sold 81 percent of Tatra to Blue River, a holding founded by former shareholders KBC Private Equity and Vectra, Terex CEO Sam Eyde and Meadow Hill, controlled by Tatra CEO Ronald Adams and his wife, for $26.2 million last autumn. After that, Tatra hired 227 staff. Its workforce exceeded 1,600 at the beginning of this year. At end-2006, Tatra signed a Kc2.6 billion contract to supply 555 lorries to the Czech Army. Autor: CTK.