Germany's MAN to invest in zl. 77 million in Star Trucks

German commercial vehicle concern MAN plans to invest zl. 77 million in Starachowice-based truck producer Star Trucks over the next three years. The money will be spent on creation of a production facility for bodywork for buses of the Neoman group, which was created in June by MAN and Neoplan. Star continued its restructuring program in the first half of 2002, re sulting in a cut in employment to below 600. However the company has hired 250 new employees over recent months and plans to increase this number to 1,300 over the next two years. According to company president Andreas Meyer, Star Trucks should increase its turnover by 47% in 2003 in comparison with this year and plans to sell 1,700 new vehicles. The company will also further develop its electrical wiring division which currently produces 35,000 units a month without which none of the MAN vehicles worldwide could be built. Representatives of Star Trucks emphasized that the company has also recorded a substantial increase in demand for its vehicles. According to auto-market analyst Samar, Star has increased it market share from 9.4% to 12.8% in 2002. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B4) M.M.