The chief executive of Wrightbus has vowed to make it a name known “across the globe” as it announced the acquisition of a bus refurbishment firm.
Wrightbus in Ballymena said it had bought RGI in the Midlands of England as part of a push into bus refurbishment and repair.
The company said it’s the latest development in a “stellar year” after announcing a record, £500m deal with bus operator Go-Ahead last month.
It said that the buy-out of RGI Bus and Coach Refurbishment reflects its commitment to expansion.
The deal means Wrightbus and its subsidiary NewPower can offer refurbishment services from upholstery to metalwork.
Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales said the company was bolstering its global credentials. “The growth of this company is entirely dependent on our incredible staff delivering world-leading products and services.
“We want to ensure the Wrightbus name is known not just in the UK and Ireland but all across the globe.
“We are already selling buses across the UK and into Germany and Asia, and we want to ensure that we have services to maintain the entire life-cycle of the bus.”
The deal, signed at the end of last month, includes RGI’s facilities in Southam and secures the employment of 13 members of staff. And Ross Cleaver, the owner of RGI, joins Wrightbus as head of repair and refurbishment UK.
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Mr Cleaver, a former West Midlands police officer who set the business up in 2016, said he was excited at the new challenge.
“I have been following the incredible trajectory of Wrightbus since it was taken out of administration in 2019 and it’s clear that this is only just the beginning. I wanted to be a part of that continued success and so this deal was a no-brainer.
“Ever since I started RGI, our customers have been paramount. These same ethics and approach are shared by Wrightbus and I’m delighted to be involved in taking it to the next level.”
Mr Gales added: “We extend a very warm welcome to Ross and his team and we know that their experience and skillset will be enormously valuable to us and our customers.
“While zero-emission buses clearly offer instant decarbonisation, the continued use and re-use of existing fleets is equally important for the circular economy.”
In October, Wrightbus signed a landmark deal worth up to £500m to supply more than 1,000 buses to operator Go-Ahead over the next three years, 90% of which will be zero-emission.
The business has enjoyed a reversal of fortune after it was bought by industrialist Jo Bamford in 2019, shortly after going into administration.
The deal with Go-Ahead is the biggest in the 78-year history of Wrighbus, which will build hundreds of Go-Ahead buses every year for the next three years.
The deal will safeguard 500 jobs and creating multiple training and up-skilling opportunities.
Speaking at the time, Mr Gales said the deal was “momentous” not just for Wrightbus and Ballymena, but the UK as a whole.
According to its most recently-filed accounts, the business now has nearly 1,300 employees.