Back in 2019, the future of Northern Ireland manufacturer Wrightbus looked very uncertain, due in part to a decline in orders after a general fall in the market for new buses.
Then in October of that year, Jo Bamford, heir to the JCB empire, stepped in and took over the reins, rescuing the company from administration with just 56 people on the books and transforming it into one of the world's most prominent bus manufacturers.
Three years on, Wrightbus is a zero-emission pioneer with an order bank full until 2024 and having just taken on its 1,000th member of staff.
Read more: Co Antrim firm secures one of UK’s largest ever electric vehicle bus orders
The remarkable turn-around comes during an outstanding year for the Ballymena-based firm - it has secured a series of high-profile deals in the UK and overseas including Australia and Germany and launched a new company, AllServiceOne.
During 2022, Wrightbus has won a string of deals with companies including First Bus and the Republic of Ireland’s National Transport Authority (NTA). First Bus placed one of the UK’s largest electric vehicle bus orders, totalling 193 buses.
The £81 million order from the Scotland-based multi-national transport group will see new zero emission buses being rolled out across England from next March.
It came on the back of another major deal to build an initial 120 buses for the NTA and landmark deals with Australia’s leading bus body manufacturer Volgren to supply hydrogen power trains that could open up a significant export market in the country and German Bus operator Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK) for up to 60 hydrogen vehicles.
And in October, Translink signed an £88 million contract with Wrightbus for 100 new zero-emission buses for Northern Ireland. The new battery electric buses, a mix of single-deck and double-deck vehicles, are due to enter service by summer 2024.
It follows the successful roll-out of 100 zero-emission buses on Belfast Metro services this year along with the planned conversion of Foyle Metro services in Derry by summer 2023.
Wrightbus has also just expanded its offering by launching a new one-stop-shop fleet support service aiming to help fleet operators in their journey towards zero-emissions.
The new service called AllServiceOne has been developed to extend the existing capabilities of Wrightbus’s existing after sales business. With buses as the foundation, the business is now developing to support fleets across a range of industries, servicing all makes, all models and all technologies.
Wrightbus also has a range of other deals in the pipeline.
But this year also saw the passing of the company's founder, Sir William Wright, 94, who founded the firm in Co Antrim with his father Robert just after the Second World War.
Since Mr Bamford took over the company, Wrightbus has firmly rooted itself as the world’s leading zero-emissions bus manufacturer, introducing the world’s first hydrogen-powered double deck bus in 2020, and producing the world’s most efficient battery electric double decker.
As the first company in the UK to produce an electric bus, zero-emission vehicles now make up 70% of production this year, leading the way in green transport. Sales of zero-emission buses at Wrightbus have risen from 0% when Mr Bamford took over to 50% in 2022.
The business is aiming to manufacture 3,000 zero-emissions buses by 2024, comprising 10% of the UK’s total fleet, with over 400 coming during the current financial year.
As well as hitting the 1,000 job mark this week, when local man Matthew Hill, 30, joined the team as a coach builder, the company also plans to recruit a further 400 new staff in the next year after already expanding its headcount by over 40% in the last 12 months.
Wrightbus Chief Executive, Buta Atwal told Belfast Live: "Three years ago this business was completely stationary, with no suppliers, customers backing out and just 56 employees. We built this business back up to our 100th employee, Matthew, starting this week so it has been a fantastic transition from those early days to where we are now.
"One of the drivers for us has been investing in the business in zero-emissions technology, both hydrogen and battery electric buses. That investment in the early days has now resulted in our order bank being very strong.
"We've already sold more vehicles for next year than we've built this year and now we're looking at doubling our production from this year to next."
But despite the full order bank for the next two years, Mr Atwal is still concerned about the current economic climate.
"The cautionary note is that the world is going into recession and when that happens, governments tend to go for the cheaper options rather than the right ones. We just need to make sure that we offer up an excellent product that stops governments making that short term decision and continue on the current long term vision," he added.
Mr Bamford said he was also “immensely proud” of how far the firm has come and the contribution it was making to the UK economy and net zero ambitions.
“This has been our most successful year to date, and that is down to those 1,000 people who are Wrightbus. I’m immensely proud of what the team has achieved and the reputation we have forged in the zero-emission transport sector.
“The deals we have secured this year are because of the reputation we have built up, which really does speak for itself. We developed the world’s first hydrogen double deck and the world’s most efficient double deck battery-electric bus. These deals have been secured on our merit,” he added.
Video by Belfast Live videographer Harry Bateman.
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