MASATS - Corporate Information

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Corporate Information

The company Salvador Alapont Masats was established in 1953 in Manresa (Barcelona), where it carried out general vehicle repairs.

Salvador's family on his mother's side had been in the passenger transport business since the year 1920.

In its workshop in Manresa, the company began manufacturing pneumatic cylinders, valves and equipment geared to the expanding bodywork industry in general.

S.A. Masats was established in 1967. At first, it was only a passenger transport enterprise, as the activity of manufacturing equipment was performed by the company Salvador Alapont Masats, under the Alapont® brand name.

In 1974, a first building was erected in Sant Salvador de Guardiola. Initially occupying an area of 1,000 m 2 , a series of extensions saw it grow to its current size of approximately 14,626 m 2 .

In 1979, the transport and equipment manufacturing activities were combined in the company S.A. Masats.

In 1986, Masats pioneered the development and production of pneumatic vehicle boots, a field in which the company thus boasts tremendous experience and reliability.

In 1988, a partnership agreement was reached with the German company Gebr. Bode GmbH & Co. The German firm became shareholders in S.A. Masats, which continued to manufacture pneumatic and electrical equipment, and a new company, Bode Masats S.A., was set up with jointly held capital to produce aluminium doors for buses and coaches.

1995 witnessed the development of a new line of electrical equipment that was specifically designed for the operation of doors. The new equipment represented major technological progress in relation to the systems that had been used until then.

Masats has held ISO 9001 certification, obtained through the organisation TÜV Product Service GmbH, since 1996.

1999 saw the beginning of the production of automatic ramps, designed by Masats itself, for the purpose of enabling people with reduced mobility to access urban vehicles. Masats thus became a supplier of complete vehicle accessibility systems.

In 2001, all the administrative and technical departments were brought together in a new office building, which contributed to achieving greater coordination and efficiency.

The incorporation to Masats, in the year 2002, of the bodywork manufacturer Irizar S. Coop. as the company's majority shareholder resulted in a greater degree of openness to the international markets, thanks to an innovative methodology based on teamwork.

In September 2003, the two companies S.A. Masats and Bode Masats S.A. merged to form the new firm Masats S.A., which thus became the second-ranked manufacturer of door systems in Europe.

2003 was also the year in which Gebr. Bode GmbH & Co. ended its relationship with Masats as a shareholder.

In 2004 Masats extends its range of accessibility systems with a new Lift for coaches.

In 2004, Masats launches the electric sliding door. It’s a door with compact design and quick movement.

In 2007 Masats obtains the certification ISO14001, through the company TÜV Product Service GmbH.

In 2008, after some sporadic collaborations in the railroad sector, Masats makes the strategic decision to develop a specific product range for this sector.

Masats currently has a staff of 300 people and exports account for 47% of its turnover.