POLISH rolling stock manufacturer Pesa Bydgoszcz has confirmed that it will acquire 100% of the shares of troubled German LRV supplier HeiterBlick. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
Pesa says it signed an investment agreement in late December and expects to complete the transaction in the first quarter of this year.
HeiterBlick applied for insolvency in April 2025, citing the need to restructure the business and to restore financial stability. Reports in the German media of Pesa’s interest in an acquisition emerged in late November, and the Polish manufacturer says the purchase will strength its capability to supply LRVs to European markets.
“We believe that Pesa and HeiterBlick complement each other perfectly,” says Krzysztof Zdziarski, president of the management board of Pesa. “The merger provides synergy of competencies and the mutual integration of the experience of both teams, which is crucial for strengthening our position in Europe.”
Heiterblick managing director, Samuel Kermelk, says the company has been working over recent months with its business partners, clients and banks to restructure the business and secure the future of the company, which is based in Leipzig and employs around 250 people.
The manufacturer received a boost on December 22 from its home city, which approved an order for 30 XXL LRVs, reportedly worth around €150m. The contract will be awarded by the city-owned utility group LVV, with the municipality providing guarantees.
HeiterBlick is also reported to have orders in hand for 55 LRVs, with options covering up to 100 additional vehicles. Customers with existing contracts are currently in negotiations over the execution of these orders following various delays.
As part of this process, 10 remaining LRVs from a 24-vehicle order for Dortmund city transport operator DSW21 are expected to be completed and delivered. However, the German cities of Zwickau and Görlitz moved on from their contract with HeiterBlick last autumn by issuing a new tender for 14 1000mm-gauge LRVs, which were originally set to be supplied under the Saxon Platform - Trams of the Future project, announced in 2021.
HeiterBlick attributes its difficulties to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, both of which caused supply chain disruption and increased costs for the business. HeiterBlick was established by Leipzig light rail operator LVB in 2004 to meet its new rolling stock requirements and became a standalone private company in 2010.
Pesa employs more than 3700 staff, with its main production facility located in Bydgoszcz, Poland. It has delivered around 1000 LRVs to more than 20 cities across Europe.
