De Simon

De Simon, also known as De Simon Group, is an Italian bus manufacturer and coachbuilder headquartered in Osoppo, in the province of Udine. The company was founded in 1925 by Giovanni De Simon, who initially assembled buses with wooden bodies for local public-transport operations. Under the subsequent management of his son Ilvo De Simon, the business moved toward steel-bodied vehicles and produced interurban and touring coaches built on chassis supplied by manufacturers including Fiat, OM, Lancia and Alfa Romeo. The company expanded significantly during the 1960s, when it began assembling buses on Fiat truck chassis and reportedly sold more than one thousand vehicles to Italian public-transport companies. Its development was severely interrupted by the 1976 Friuli earthquake, whose epicentre was in Osoppo and which destroyed or damaged much of the industrial infrastructure in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, including De Simon’s facilities. Ilvo and his sons Giovanni and Alvio rebuilt the operation over approximately two years. The reconstructed site covered about 70,000 square metres and included offices and a test track, allowing De Simon to resume manufacturing on a larger industrial base. In 1978, De Simon and Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie established the Inbus consortium. During the 1980s, Inbus became a major participant in the Italian bus market, reaching an estimated 30 percent national share. De Simon also developed a manufacturing plant in Palermo, Sicily, known as IMEA, which supplied urban and interurban buses for the island. Over the consortium’s roughly ten-year existence, approximately 6,000 buses were produced, with De Simon responsible for about 30 percent of the assembly output. After Inbus was dissolved in 1990, De Simon continued to produce buses in cooperation with Iveco and Renault. The company also introduced stainless-steel bus bodies in Italy, a material choice that became increasingly important to its later product strategy. From 1993, De Simon concentrated primarily on intercity buses with bodies made largely or entirely from stainless steel, using European chassis suppliers such as Scania and later Mercedes-Benz. In the urban-bus market, it held an Italian franchise for Belgian manufacturer Van Hool, offering vehicles between eight and eighteen metres in length, including natural-gas-powered variants. From 1996 to 2002, De Simon cooperated with Romanian manufacturer Rocar on the assembly of approximately 400 urban buses, marketed as the I410 and U 412. During the following five years, De Simon developed the Millemiglia range for interurban service. The range covered buses from approximately 10.8 to 14 metres and was associated with fleets serving towns and transport operators in Apulia and Campania. It also included the Millemiglia Zefiro, an open-top vehicle intended for tourism and sightseeing applications. In 2006, De Simon Group became a joint-stock company with activities increasingly focused on supplying bus-body spare parts and providing bodywork repair, maintenance and conversion services. The company was still described as an independent manufacturer in 2007, when it recorded sales of 150 buses and turnover of more than 20 million euros; the financial figures are reported in the cited reference without a separately identified company filing in the supplied material. In 2008, De Simon decided to convert its business to the sole sale of spare parts and the repair of bus bodywork. The supplied reference does not establish the company’s present ownership, operating status, website or subsequent corporate history.

De Simon began in 1925 in Osoppo, Italy, when Giovanni De Simon started assembling buses with wooden bodies for local public transport. The business later passed into the management of his son Ilvo, under whom it adopted steel construction and built interurban and touring coaches on chassis from Fiat, OM, Lancia and Alfa Romeo. The company expanded during the 1960s by assembling buses on Fiat truck chassis. It sold more than one thousand vehicles to Italian public-transport companies during this period. The 1976 Friuli earthquake, centred in Osoppo, destroyed or damaged much of the company’s industrial base. Ilvo De Simon and his sons Giovanni and Alvio rebuilt the operation in approximately two years. The replacement site covered 70,000 square metres and included offices and a test track. In 1978, De Simon formed the Inbus consortium with Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie. Inbus became a major Italian bus producer during the 1980s, reaching an estimated 30 percent share of the national market. De Simon also built the IMEA plant in Palermo, which supplied urban and interurban buses in Sicily. Inbus produced approximately 6,000 buses during its existence, with around 30 percent assembled by De Simon. After the consortium ended in 1990, De Simon continued working with Iveco and Renault and introduced stainless-steel bodies to the Italian market. From 1993, De Simon focused mainly on intercity buses with stainless-steel bodies and used chassis from manufacturers such as Scania and Mercedes-Benz. It also held an Italian franchise for Van Hool urban buses, including natural-gas models. Between 1996 and 2002, it cooperated with Rocar of Romania on approximately 400 urban buses designated I410 and U 412. During the first half of the 2000s, De Simon developed the Millemiglia interurban range, covering vehicles between roughly 10.8 and 14 metres. The range included the Millemiglia 10 HD, Millemiglia 12 HD, Millemiglia 10 Eav and the open-top Millemiglia Zefiro. The buses were associated with transport fleets in Apulia and Campania, while the Zefiro addressed tourism and sightseeing use. In 2006, De Simon Group became a joint-stock company and increasingly concentrated on aftermarket activities, including spare parts, body repairs, maintenance and conversions. In 2007, the independent company was reported to have sold 150 buses and generated turnover exceeding 20 million euros. In 2008, it decided to convert the business to the sale of spare parts and repair of bus bodywork. The supplied reference does not provide enough information to determine the company’s present legal, ownership or operating status.

1. 2008Complete-bus production is discontinued

   The company decided to focus solely on spare-parts sales and bus-body repair.

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2. 2006De Simon Group becomes a joint-stock company

   The group formalized its corporate structure while emphasizing spare parts and bus-body services.

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3. 1996Rocar assembly cooperation begins

   De Simon began a cooperation with Romanian manufacturer Rocar that continued through 2002 and covered approximately 400 urban buses.

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4. 1993Focus shifts to stainless-steel intercity buses

   De Simon concentrated on intercity coaches with stainless-steel bodies and European chassis, including Scania and later Mercedes-Benz.

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5. 1990Post-Inbus independent production

   After Inbus was dissolved, De Simon continued producing buses in cooperation with Iveco and Renault.

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6. 1978Inbus consortium established

   De Simon and Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie formed the Inbus bus-manufacturing consortium.

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7. 1976Friuli earthquake damages the factory

   The earthquake centred in Osoppo damaged the company’s facilities and forced a major reconstruction effort.

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8. 1960Expansion into Fiat truck-chassis buses

   During the 1960s, De Simon assembled buses on Fiat truck chassis and sold more than one thousand vehicles to Italian public-transport companies.

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9. 1925Company founded in Osoppo

   Giovanni De Simon founded the company and began assembling wooden-body buses for local public transport.

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Historically positioned as an Italian specialist in bus body construction and coachbuilding, with particular emphasis on intercity and touring vehicles, stainless-steel bodies, public-transport applications and cooperation with major chassis and vehicle manufacturers. From 2006 onward, its business increasingly emphasized aftermarket parts, bodywork repairs, maintenance and conversions.

• Millemiglia 12 HDInterurban bus

  A high-deck member of De Simon’s Millemiglia interurban range. The range was developed in the first half of the 2000s for regional and intercity operations and covered buses approximately 10.8 to 14 metres in length. Specific chassis, engine and production details for the 12 HD are not provided in the supplied reference.

• Millemiglia 10 HDInterurban bus

  A high-deck interurban coach in the Millemiglia family. It formed part of De Simon’s later range for regional fleets, including operators serving towns in Apulia and Campania. The supplied material does not specify its exact launch date or technical configuration.

• Millemiglia 10 EavInterurban bus

  A Millemiglia-series bus intended for interurban service. It belonged to De Simon’s final complete-bus product family, developed after the company’s long experience with stainless-steel coachbuilding. Detailed specifications and launch information are not available in the supplied source.

• Millemiglia ZefiroOpen-top sightseeing bus

  An open-top touring and sightseeing bus derived from the Millemiglia product family. It extended De Simon’s interurban coachbuilding expertise into tourism applications. The reference identifies the vehicle as part of the company’s line-up but does not provide detailed technical or commercial information.

• 2008Shift from complete buses to aftermarket servicesStrategy

  After decades as a bus manufacturer and coachbuilder, and following a growing emphasis on parts and bodywork services, De Simon reassessed its operating model.

  What changed. The company decided to concentrate on the sale of spare parts and the repair of bus bodywork rather than continue building complete buses.

  Aftermath. The supplied material does not document the company’s subsequent ownership, product activity or operating status.

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• 2008De Simon shifts to parts and bodywork services

  The company decided to stop building complete buses and focus on the sale of spare parts and bus-body repair work.

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• 2007De Simon reports 150-bus sales volume

  The independent company was reported to have sold 150 buses and generated turnover of more than 20 million euros during the year.

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• 2006De Simon becomes a joint-stock company

  De Simon Group established itself as a joint-stock company with an emphasis on spare-parts supply and bus-body repair, maintenance and conversion.

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• 1996De Simon develops cooperation with Rocar

  De Simon and Romanian manufacturer Rocar cooperated on the assembly of approximately 400 urban buses, including the I410 and U 412 models, through 2002.

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• 1990Inbus consortium is dissolved

  Following the end of the Inbus consortium, De Simon continued independently while collaborating with Iveco and Renault.

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• 1980Inbus reaches a substantial share of the Italian bus market

  During the 1980s, the Inbus consortium achieved an estimated 30 percent share of Italy’s national bus market and produced approximately 6,000 buses over its existence.

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• 1978De Simon and Breda establish the Inbus consortium

  De Simon joined Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie to create Inbus, a consortium that later became a significant force in the Italian bus market.

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• 1976De Simon rebuilds after the Friuli earthquake

  The earthquake centred in Osoppo damaged De Simon’s production facilities. The company subsequently rebuilt its plant and resumed operations from a substantially expanded site.

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1. De Simon