The first semester has produced encouraging financial results for Chéreau SAS and has seen a healthy number of orders, this maintaining the company's position in several national markets, the most prominent being in France.
Chéreau is finalizing a sales contract with Kögel. This contract is for the supply of Chereau's refrigerated transportation equipment to Kögel's sales network in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and 15 Eastern European nations.
At the end of March, Kögel decided to stop producing this type of equipment (1,000 units/year in 2003) in order to concentrate on its core product: chassis frames and curtainsiders. However, it wishes to continue to offer refrigerated transportation equipment. This sales contract is a bilateral agreement that also includes the supply of Kögel frames to Chéreau, whose production capacity is presently close to saturation.
Chéreau's shipments to Germany should start as early as June.