Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak advised the firm Solaris Bus & Coach on the creation – with the Stadler Group – of the joint-venture, Solaris Tram sp. z o.o., carrying out operations on the tramcar market. Under the transaction, Solaris contributed assets related to tramcar operations to Solaris Tram, while Stadler took up new shares in the company in exchange for a cash contribution. Solaris also granted Solaris Tram the pertinent licenses for tramcar operations.
The creation of the joint-venture is a further step in the realization of a strategic cooperation between Solaris Bus & Coach and Stadler, engaged on the basis of agreements concluded between the parties in 2016 (on which project SK&S also advised Solaris Bus & Coach).
Solaris Bus & Coach is a known Polish manufacturer of buses, trolleybuses and tramcars – a family business set up by Solange and Krzysztof Olszewski. Since 1996, in a factory in Bolechowo near Poznań, 12,000 vehicles have already been manufactured and sold to 29 countries. Among others, it produces the Tramino tramcars which operate in Poznań, Olsztyn, Jena and Brunswick.
Stadler is a Swiss firm which is one of the largest producers of rolling stock in Europe. Stadler Polska is its domestic company which for 10 years has produced Flirt trains for PKP Intercity in a factory in Siedlce. It also operates on the tramcar market.
Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak advised Solaris on all aspects of the project, including negotiating the pertinent contribution agreements, shareholder agreements, and license agreements, as well as on tax, employee and competition law issues.
Solaris was assisted in the transaction by a team of lawyers from Sołtysiński Kawecki & Szlęzak headed by Krzysztof Pawlisz, partner, and also composed of: Andrzej Motyka (senior associate, lawyer), Agnieszka Skowronek (associate, legal adviser), Mikołaj Skowronek (associate) and Anna Bartosiewicz (junior associate). Tax issues were handled by Piotr Andrzejak, partner in the tax department, Bartłomiej Biały (senior associate, legal advisor) and Szymon Czerwiński (senior associate, legal advisor). Krzysztof Kanton, partner in charge of the competition law practice, and Grzegorz Koguciuk (associate), were responsible for antimonopoly matters. Employee issues were handled by Roch Pałubicki, partner in charge of the law firm’s labor law practice, as well as Monika Krzyszkowska Dąbrowska (senior counsel).