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Basque coach and bus producer&' || 'nbsp; Irizar inaugurated a new, €8-million factory in Viralimalai, India, on February 19.

Irizar continues with its internationalization efforts based on what are known as the BRIC countries (i.e. Brazil, Russia, India and China), these being the emerging economies with greatest growth potential today.

Sources at Irizar stressed that the new factory, built on a 20,000-square-metre site, will enable the company to increase manufacturing capacity in India (where it has had business interests for the last nine years) to around 2,200 coaches a year in the region.

Although the Indian plant had been designed to the same quality and technology standards as the rest of the Irizar group factories, the sources insisted that this latest facility would enable them to improve product quality on the Indian market "still further."

Irizar is looking at being able to produce more than two thousand coaches this year in India, principally for transporting schoolchildren and factory workers, although some would also be employed for intercity travel, which should mean a 15 per cent increase over the 2009 figures.

During the factory inauguration ceremony, company management presented its new iT09 coach, which completes the firm''s product range, and ramps up its bid to lead its market segment. The new factory also plans to export to other Asian countries from its home in Viralimalai, in southern India''s Tamil Nadu state.