The Navarrese bus bodywork company located in Alsasua has announced a pre-agreement with Volvo Buses to produce two Volvo models for the European market from 2024. This agreement will mean tripling its current workforce from the current 300 employees to around 800 over the next four years.
Production of these premium segment buses is scheduled to start in May next year and is expected to reach a production of 850 buses per year.
This announcement follows Volvo Buses’ decision to change its business model to focus on chassis production. Sunsundegui is one of the most important companies in Sakana in terms of employment and activity. In recent years it has suffered significant economic difficulties which required the financial support of Cofides and Sodena. Cofides granted a loan of 8.9 million euros to the company at the beginning of last year.
The company’s difficult situation in recent years is due to the consequences of the pandemic, with production falling from 462 finished vehicles in 2019 to just 160 in 2022. According to the data recorded in the commercial register, Sunsundegui had a turnover of 32.2 million euros in 2021 compared to 73.2 million euros in 2020, which forced it to cut its workforce from 387 employees to 264.
