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WRIGHTBUS

Started by JIM C, September 25, 2019, 12:18:21 PM

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JIM C

Wrightbus have entered administration, Blaming less buses being built for the uk  market.

winston

Quote from: JIM C on September 25, 2019, 12:18:21 PM
Wrightbus have entered administration, Blaming less buses being built for the market.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-49818156

Or more like Wrightbus have screwed up by focusing too much on integrals that are inferior / not the most reliable & have lost a lot of their regular customers to ADL.

Streetlites orders have fallen off the face of a cliff in recent years, and Streetdeck orders were heading the same way with First Group cancelling a large order for Leeds that were going through production. Plus no further Borismaster have been ordered after a change in London Mayor etc.

Rotala are their only main large customer currently.

BK63 YWP

Quote from: Winston on September 25, 2019, 12:50:42 PM
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-49818156

Or more like Wrightbus have screwed up by focusing too much on integrals that are inferior / not the most reliable & have lost a lot of their regular customers to ADL.

Streetlites orders have fallen off the face of a cliff in recent years, and Streetdeck orders were heading the same way with First Group cancelling a large order for Leeds that were going through production. Plus no further Borismaster have been ordered after a change in London Mayor etc.

Rotala are their only main large customer currently.

Do you think they should of focused on the Volvo range I.e made a new Gemini 4 and new eclipse 4? And let Volvo do the chassis?
The Funny sounding Enviro 400

15 Wolverhampton to Merry Hill
15A Wolverhampton Merry Hill
16 Wolverhampton to Stourbridge

X10 Gornal Wood

winston

Quote from: SL 16 YPN on September 25, 2019, 01:23:37 PM
Do you think they should of focused on the Volvo range I.e made a new Gemini 4 and new eclipse 4? And let Volvo do the chassis?

I think they should have provided more choice of chassis/body combinations including potentially Scania DD's (Scania seem to be growing in popularity again) & they've also lost a lot of ground to MCV with London orders & for the few B8RLE that are selling.

2900

Wrightbus /Volvo was a great combo should have stuck to that recipe.

Just learnt ADL is now a Canadian company , so no British bus builder left.

winston

Quote from: 2900 on September 25, 2019, 03:00:48 PM
Wrightbus /Volvo was a great combo should have stuck to that recipe.

Just learnt ADL is now a Canadian company , so no British bus builder left.

I agree but Volvo don't sell the same quantity of buses in the UK compared with what they used to, especially single deckers as Volvo don't have a light weight product like E200MMC's or Streetlites. Also First Group was a big Volvo/Wright customer, all that business has gone for various reasons.

I personally don't think the build quality of the Streetlite & Streedeck is anywhere near the Eclipse or earlier Gemini's, and the latest Gemini 3 styling isn't to every operators taste.

Stu

It's quite sad news really, no-one likes to hear about 1200 people losing their jobs, but clearly the bus market is changing and while new bus sales may have fallen, companies are still buying buses, just not as many from Wrightbus. So I see it as a failure for the company to adapt to the 'challenging conditions' it was facing, and perhaps it was focusing its efforts in the wrong area.

The 'integral' bus concept obviously worked with the New Routemaster, and the company was helped by large orders from TfL. But perhaps Wrightbus should have stuck to what it was good at, building good quality bus bodywork onto already existing chassis designs.

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winston


Busboy105

Quote from: Winston on October 11, 2019, 10:34:50 AM
Looks like Wrightbus have been saved from liquidation:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-50013959
That's nice to hear. Hopefully NX order more Streetdecks or even Gemini 3s but that's wishful thinking.

winston

Quote from: Busboy105 on October 11, 2019, 10:40:01 AM
That's nice to hear. Hopefully NX order more Streetdecks or even Gemini 3s but that's wishful thinking.

Doubt NX will consider buying anymore Streetdecks until Wrightbus improve their products.

Trident 4194

Quote from: Winston on October 11, 2019, 12:30:02 PM
Doubt NX will consider buying anymore Streetdecks until Wrightbus improve their products.

I think the build quality of the street decks is pretty good? What's wrong with them?

Busboy105

I know, I haven't really said anything about them but people say that it's ugly and such.

karl724223

Quote from: Trident 4194 on October 11, 2019, 12:48:14 PM
I think the build quality of the street decks is pretty good? What's wrong with them?
when was the last time we had all five on the road

BK63 YWP

Quote from: karl724223 on October 11, 2019, 02:39:04 PM
when was the last time we had all five on the road

If they continued to just do the bodywork and leave the chassis to Volvo etc they would of been ok
The Funny sounding Enviro 400

15 Wolverhampton to Merry Hill
15A Wolverhampton Merry Hill
16 Wolverhampton to Stourbridge

X10 Gornal Wood

monkeyjoe

They have been saved

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