LIAZ (LIbereckéAutomobilové Závody – Liberec Automobil Works) is a former Czech and Czechoslovak manufacturer of trucks. The company was formed in 1951 by the government as a division of Škoda, incorporating eight other truck manufacturers into a single conglomerate. In 1953 LIAZ became independent of Škoda but still continued to use its name until 1984 (Škoda LIAZ). After the 1989 revolution, there was a significant decrease in production.
LIAZ's headquarters in Liberec were the same headquarters as the former Reichenberger Automobil Fabrik (RAF) had occupied.[1] RAF opened its Liberec plant in 1907, in 1912 it was bought by Laurin & Klement, and in 1916 moved its production technology to Mladá Boleslav to leave Liberec's production facilities to textile entrepreneurs.
Škoda LIAZ's main truck plants were in Liberec, Rýnovice, Mnichovo Hradiště, and Jablonec nad Nisou. Eventually, factories were opened in Mělník, Zvolen, Veľký Krtíš, Přerov, and Holýšov. LIAZ has gradually grown and increased its staff and production levels - in 1975 it employed 11,000 workers and produced 13,600 utility vehicles annually. In the 1970s, LIAZ was the biggest Czechoslovak truck manufacturer, with an annual production of 15,000 trucks and plants running at full capacity.[1]
However, after the 1989 revolution and subsequent economic problems, LIAZ lost almost all of its sales and was unable to find new customers to sell to, and so the production gradually declined. Not even the introduction of a new, modern Škoda 400 line (Xena and Fox) could help the company to achieve better results. In 2000, the company was bought by Slovakian Sipox Holding, which however did not have enough money to finance production. Production of LIAZ vehicle ceased in September 2003.[2]
Tedom Truck, based in Třebíč, bought in 2006 all the rights to produce LIAZ trucks, including the factory, technical documentation, and know-how for engine production. It produced the Fox model line series and modernized older LIAZ vehicles. However, the company entered liquidation on 1 January 2010. As a result of this financial trouble, only 19 of the planned 5,000 vehicles to be made per annum were actually made; of these only nine where the modernised LIAZ models.[3]
The LIAZ brand was bought by holding Czechoslovak Group and on 22 December 2017, LIAZ Trucks was established.[4]
1952–1958 - Škoda 706 R, developed from the pre-war 706 D
1957–1990 - Škoda 706 RT - a cab-over design with LIAZ' own 12-liter inline-six of the M 634 series[1]
1969–1990 - Škoda 706 MT - used the frame, engine, and cab of the RT, but was intended for special uses. They were fitted with splitter transmissions and planetary drive rear axles, all to increase max loads.[1]
The engine plant of LIAZ trucks has been purchased by TEDOM Trucks which has also purchased all the technical data and drawings and is now marketing LIAZ Concept Trucks under the brand of FOX. In the late nineties, LIAZ in Jablonec and Nisou was mainly producing diesel engines that were assembled and tested at the industrial estate.
The engine line production actually tested every single engine by running it and collecting various parameters about it. Every n-th engine was sent to disassembly to check for any engine tolerances. The testing rigs were called Brzda (brake) where the engine was connected to fuel, exhaust extraction piping, and electronic probes.
The industrial estate of LIAZ has also been used for the production of steam which is routinely used to heat housing estates. This highly pressurized steam is piped to smaller transformer stations around the town of Jablonec nad Nisou. In the transformer stations, the pressure is reduced and used for heating blocks of flats.
