Founded in Ourense in 1995, the Pérez Rumbao Group's Industrial Vehicle Unit (Unvi Carroceros) focuses on the design and manufacture of buses, with a commitment to a safe, efficient and sustainable mobility model. Its vehicles are characterised by reduced weight through light, aerodynamic and highly resistant bodies, with the resulting fuel savings.  

Their wide range of models includes special and customised vehicles, from buses adapted for people with reduced mobility to "bibliobuses" that bring culture to communities which lack a public library, mobile bank offices with built-in cash dispensers or minibuses for travelling in the desert sand or on rough terrain. They are also specialists in designing double-decker buses, minibuses and intercity minibuses.

In 2005, they expanded their production capacity by acquiring the Portuguese company Camo in Vila Nova de Gaia. Between the two sites, they generate 300 direct and indirect jobs. In 2022, they reached a turnover of 27 million euros, delivering more than 200 units. This year, forecasts are on the rise, and they already have an order book of more than 250 units.

Unvi buses are in circulation all over the world. In the last 15 years, between 70 and 80% of its annual production has been aimed at foreign markets. Their main customers are in Europe, with the UK, France, Spain and Portugal leading the way. Outside the continent, they have worked for various Latin American countries, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, among other destinations.

How to distinguish yourself in the marketplace

Together with quality, concern for environmental impact and a clear orientation towards customer service, both in the design process and after-sales, Unvi Carroceros has made innovation and design one of its main assets as a factor of competitiveness and differentiation in the market. The innovative mentality is part of Unvi's identity. "A clear example of innovation is our range of electric buses, where we started with double-decker tourist buses in 2017 and will deliver electric urban buses in June to the Ourense City Council, as well as to other customers in Europe," the company points out.

In terms of design, in the last three years they have completely overhauled their range, from minibuses to double-decker tourist buses. The Galician Innovation and Design Awards, organised by the Xunta de Galicia through the Galician Innovation Agency, recognised this trajectory in their last edition, where they were awarded a prize in the Business category.

With their sights set on the future, their R&D&I challenges are focused on "continuing with the process of decarbonisation across the entire range of models, as well as the integration of all the new technological systems that have come into force, from driving aids to cybersecurity, without forgetting all those that facilitate greater comfort and ease of use for passengers", they conclude.