De Simon
Encyclopedia
De Simon Group S.p.A. is a bus manufacturer and coachbuilder
based in Osoppo
, Udine
, Italy
.
, OM
, Lancia
or Alfa
chassis.
In the sixties they started assembling buses on Fiat truck-chassis and sold over a thousand units to the public transport companies in Italy.
In 1976 an earthquake having the epicenter in Osoppo ruins most of the plants in Friuli-Venezia Giulia
, including the one of De Simon. Ilvo together with his sons Giovanni and Alvio manage to rebuild the plant in only two years time. The new site covers 70,000 square meters and includes two office buildings and a test track.
In 1978, De Simon together with Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie form up the new consortium called Inbus, which achieves in the eighties a share of 30% of the national bus market. During this time, De Simon builds a new construction plant in Palermo
, Sicily
, called IMEA, that would be the main supplier of the island for urban and interurban buses. During its ten years of existence the Inbus consortium produced about 6,000 buses, of which 30% were assembled by De Simon.
After the disband of the consortium in 1990, De Simon continued producing buses in collaboration with Iveco
and Renault
, introducing for the first time in Italy the bodies built from stainless steel.
Starting from 1993, De Simon focuses mainly on intercity buses built entirely from stainless steel using chassis from European manufacturers Scania
and later Mercedes-Benz
. In the urban sector, De Simon franchises and sells in Italy buses of the Belgian manufacturer Van Hool
, between 8 and 18 meters in length, and available even with a natural gas
-powered engine.
Between 1996 and 2002, Romanian bus manufacturer Rocar
and De Simon have a cooperation for the assembly of 400 urban buses.
In the following five years the company developed a new range of buses called Millemiglia, designed for interurban lines, between 10.8 and 14 meters in length. Such fleets are used in the towns of Puglia and Campania
. Their line-up also includes a touristic open-top bus called Millemiglia Zefiro.
In 2006, De Simon Group established themselves as a joint-stock company and manage mainly the supply of spare parts for bus bodies or repairs, maintenance or conversion of bus bodies.
In 2007, as an independent company, De Simon achieved a sales volume of 150 buses and a turnover of more than 20 million euro
s.
Coachbuilder
A coachbuilder is a manufacturer of bodies for carriages or automobiles.The trade dates back several centuries. Rippon was active in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Barker founded in 1710 by an officer in Queen Anne's Guards, Brewster a relative newcomer , formed in 1810. Others in Britain included...
based in Osoppo
Osoppo
Osoppo is a comune in the Province of Udine in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 90 km northwest of Trieste and about 25 km northwest of Udine...
, Udine
Udine
Udine is a city and comune in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,439 in 2009, and that of its urban area was 175,000.- History :Udine is the historical...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
History
The company was founded in 1925 by Giovanni De Simon, who started assembling wooden-body buses for the local public transport. Later, under the management of his son Ilvo, the company introduced steel for interurban and touristic coaches, using FiatFiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
, OM
Officine Meccaniche
Officine Meccaniche or OM was an Italian car and truck manufacturing company, founded in 1899 in Milan as Societa Anonima Officine Meccaniche...
, Lancia
Lancia
Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
or Alfa
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
chassis.
In the sixties they started assembling buses on Fiat truck-chassis and sold over a thousand units to the public transport companies in Italy.
In 1976 an earthquake having the epicenter in Osoppo ruins most of the plants in Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli–Venezia Giulia is one of the twenty regions of Italy, and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The capital is Trieste. It has an area of 7,858 km² and about 1.2 million inhabitants. A natural opening to the sea for many Central European countries, the region is...
, including the one of De Simon. Ilvo together with his sons Giovanni and Alvio manage to rebuild the plant in only two years time. The new site covers 70,000 square meters and includes two office buildings and a test track.
In 1978, De Simon together with Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie form up the new consortium called Inbus, which achieves in the eighties a share of 30% of the national bus market. During this time, De Simon builds a new construction plant in Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, called IMEA, that would be the main supplier of the island for urban and interurban buses. During its ten years of existence the Inbus consortium produced about 6,000 buses, of which 30% were assembled by De Simon.
After the disband of the consortium in 1990, De Simon continued producing buses in collaboration with Iveco
Iveco
Iveco, an acronym for Industrial Vehicle Corporation, originally an alliance of European commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Fiat , Unic and Magirus. Iveco is now an Italian truck, bus, and diesel engine manufacturer, based in Turin...
and Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
, introducing for the first time in Italy the bodies built from stainless steel.
Starting from 1993, De Simon focuses mainly on intercity buses built entirely from stainless steel using chassis from European manufacturers Scania
Scania AB
Scania Aktiebolag , commonly referred to as Scania AB or just Scania, is a major Swedish automotive industry manufacturer of commercial vehicles - specifically heavy trucks and buses...
and later Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
. In the urban sector, De Simon franchises and sells in Italy buses of the Belgian manufacturer Van Hool
Van Hool
Van Hool NV is a Belgian coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers.The company was founded in 1947 by Bernard van Hool in Koningshooikt, nearby Lier, Belgium. In the early years, the company introduced serial production and exported their products all over Europe...
, between 8 and 18 meters in length, and available even with a natural gas
Compressed natural gas
Compressed natural gas is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline , diesel, or propane/LPG. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the event of a spill...
-powered engine.
Between 1996 and 2002, Romanian bus manufacturer Rocar
Rocar
Rocar was a van, bus and trolleybus manufacturer based in Bucharest, Romania.The company was created in 1951, and the first production lines were made for rolling-stock equipment and agricultural machines....
and De Simon have a cooperation for the assembly of 400 urban buses.
In the following five years the company developed a new range of buses called Millemiglia, designed for interurban lines, between 10.8 and 14 meters in length. Such fleets are used in the towns of Puglia and Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
. Their line-up also includes a touristic open-top bus called Millemiglia Zefiro.
In 2006, De Simon Group established themselves as a joint-stock company and manage mainly the supply of spare parts for bus bodies or repairs, maintenance or conversion of bus bodies.
In 2007, as an independent company, De Simon achieved a sales volume of 150 buses and a turnover of more than 20 million euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s.
Products
The current line-up of buses:- De Simon Millemiglia 12 HD
- De Simon Millemiglia 10 HD
- De Simon Millemiglia 10 Eav
- De Simon Millemiglia Zefiro