Optare Share Discussion Threads

[jsbach123] 19/10/2014 22:12

Ownership of IP is an irrelevant question as AL as majority shareholder can do whatever they wish at whatever cost they wish in intercompany transaction I think Steve.

Interesting share price movement. Others have speculated on other Boards good news including large orders is possible soon. This may be true but IMHO the company is now firmly lodged in a debt-trap spiral - paying more than a million pounds annually in interest on estimated debts of £20 million or more and failing, as far as can be ascertained from information in the public domain to achieve current trading at break even. Annual turnover it has been estimated needs to be at least £80 million to break even and again from information in public domain that number seems very unlikely to be reached in this current financial year and order book value remains historically low.

Fickling who has presided over the destruction of shareholder value still draws remuneration. Longer-term PIs may ask why he is paid, and also why does he not resign?

[kimoldfield] 17/10/2014 11:45

I would send Optare an email to ask those questions Steve if I thought there was a faint chance of receiving a replying!

Huge rise in the share price today, well in terms of OPE's share price anyway!😀

[steve517499] 17/10/2014 08:16

Will the Indian EVs actually be Optare EVs or A-L EVs?

Who actually owns the IP rights of developments since OPE effectively became a subsiduary of A-L. Is it OPE or the parent company?

[kimoldfield] 16/10/2014 10:18

I suppose it will boil down to demand in the end, who and where will want Optare's EV's, if anyone!

[m.t.glass] 16/10/2014 07:41

It does seem more likely that this is merely a step towards shifting the bulk of Optare's EV production to India, and that its UK plant will perhaps serve only the UK and West Europe? In which case it would be no great surprise if their non-EV production moved the same way.

[kimoldfield] 15/10/2014 21:36

Oh, I'm always the optimist JSB, sends out good vibes!😀 Details on the manufacturing of the buses seem a little ambiguous at the moment; the Hindu Business Line states that most of the components including the batteries will have to be imported into India. investments will primarily go into tooling. There is a nice picture of the Solo diesel version in Chennai with Vinod Dasari MD of AL and a chap who looks like Vince Cable. Oh, it IS Vince Cable. We're doomed! Perhaps I am being unfair to Vince!

[jsbach123] 15/10/2014 20:21

I continue to admire you optimism Kim and stranger things have been known to happen. But links provided on another site suggest that Optare will supply only the designs (existing) and manufacturing will take place in India. I wish the company would announce some orders - a number of Trade Fairs and Exhibitions have been attended recently and complete silence from the company. Others have complained about lack of communication I wonder is it policy or incompetence. Whichever is the case it is IMHO shortsighted and mistaken not to address it, bad reputations in any aspect of business conduct have a tendency to spread and Optare is a company that simply cannot afford to have any actual or potential interested party disgruntled (also IMHO).

[kimoldfield] 15/10/2014 19:16

There are a lot of very rich Indians out there, an electric metro decker may become the latest rich man's plaything!😀

[jsbach123] 15/10/2014 14:33

lol! I'm laughing with scepticism as the Indian market cannot afford 'ordinary' western buses so the likelihood of anyone buying an all electric bus whether in kit form or not is...well not high IMHO.

[kimoldfield] 15/10/2014 13:42

Ashok Leyland plans to launch Optare electric buses in India in 2015. I believe they will be shipped over in kit form to be completed in India.

[jsbach123] 14/10/2014 07:30

I wonder what the record is for the longest time a listed company has been in business and never declared a penny profit? Optare's more than five years of annual losses must place it as a contender for the title I would guess.

[bump3r] 14/10/2014 07:17

Should have been Norris McWhirter.Helping us to achieve a Guinness World record for the longest continual share price decline on AIM.

[bigbaddaz] 14/10/2014 00:07

It would appear Mr Norris has been drafted in to assist us in one way or another. He does have contacts with the Government Organisations, therefore he may be the key to getting Optare buses specified with TFL.

It would also appear Mr Norris has plenty of experience with companies that are either voluntarily wound up or dissolved, and experience of companies being placed into administration.

Let's hope he has joined to assist us in gaining sales and contracts for our buses. After all we don't need his assistance with the latter, we're doing a bloody good job of that ourselves !! IMO ;-)

[marmar80] 13/10/2014 16:52

Pity it's not Chuck Norris

[jsbach123] 13/10/2014 12:02

No RNS for AGM yet this one. The following text is extracted from Wikipedia (today 13 October 2014)

Business career
Norris is unusual in that he has combined a career in politics with a successful career in business. At the time of the Potters Bar rail crash on 10 May 2002 he was a non-executive director of Jarvis plc, who were responsible for maintaining the defective points which caused the crash. Along with other Jarvis directors he falsely claimed to have evidence showing that outside saboteurs were responsible. Jarvis subsequently admitted liability after a damning HSE report. Jarvis went into administration on 25 March 2010.

[kimoldfield] 13/10/2014 10:28

An RNS, whatever next?! Well, Steven Norris should know a thing or two and as the new Deputy Chairman he might just be useful!

[jsbach123] 12/10/2014 17:48

It might be an interesting and worthwhile public service initiative to start an open contribution website (Wiki awards?) of meaningless and bogus business and other awards (not that the Indo European Business Forum would be listed)!

[kimoldfield] 12/10/2014 16:20

Optare was recognised for its contribution to Environment and Green Technology by the Indo European Business Forum at an awards ceremony at the House of Lords on the 24th September. Not put on website until the 6th October. Is Rebecca Green as useful as a chocolate teapot at a tea party in the desert or is she restricted in when and what she can put out, which if so would make her job as useful as a chocolate teapot! Mind you, having seen a picture of the 'trophy' it is not much to crow about, plus it has been awarded to the Hinduja Brother's (sic)!!!

[jsbach123] 08/10/2014 13:52

Interesting recent share price movements and spreads. I wonder what MMs are thinking or seeking to achieve? I really don't wish to be a prophet of doom but in my mind I keep hearing the words 'dead duck'. IMHO the only questions remaining are when will the money run out and how and when AL will achieve their exit. But perhaps other better informed or optimistic PIs will enlighten me and other readers.

[kimoldfield] 07/10/2014 10:26

Perhaps we should have Louis Van Gaal in charge!😀

[jsbach123] 07/10/2014 09:38

If I have done my sum right that is 155 registrations for H1 of current financial year. Even guesstimating/hoping that there was a good number of exports about which there is no publicly available information looks like an H1 loss of more than £1 million IMHO.

[kimoldfield] 07/10/2014 09:20

22 new registrations in September, 7 more than last year. Could that be called progress? Yes, let's be optimistic and call it progress!