BALLYMENA bus manufacturer Wrightbus has reached 1,000 employees just three years after it was bought out of administration by Jo Bamford.
Around 1,200 jobs were lost when the business collapsed in October 2019.
On Tuesday, the company, which has heavily invested in hydrogen and battery electric technology, welcomed Matthew Hill onto the shop floor as the workforce returned to four figures.
Wrightbus said based on its current growth trajectory, it will surpass 1,200 people in 2023, with a goal of reaching 1,400 in the next 12 months.
Announcing the launch of another new company for his expanding bus empire, Jo Bamford described the growth of the business as “remarkable”.
He said AllServiceOne will be a one-stop-shop fleet support service aiming to help fleet operators in their journey towards zero-emissions.
“This has been our most successful year to date, and that is down to those 1,000 people who are Wrightbus,” he said.
“The deals we have secured this year are because of the reputation we have built up, which really does speak for itself.”
The manufacturer is now producing around 12 buses per week, with plans to scale again next year to meet demand.
Chief executive Buta Atwal said: “We’re looking at probably doubling from what we did this year to next year again.
“Already for next year, we’ve sold more vehicles than we have produced this year. So we’re looking on an upward trend for the business.
“We are going to continue to recruit next year on the shop floor, but also critically engineering, sales people, HR staff, the whole gambit of what grows a successful business.”
The floor of the Ballymena factory is currently filled with buses being produced for the Republic’s National Transport Authority (NTA), one of seven contracts the firm is actively working on.
The NTA deal, which involves an initial order for 120 electric double-decker buses worth £69 million could eventually see up to 800 vehicles delivered over a five-year period, potentially making it the single biggest bus procurement contract in the history of the Irish State.
On the question of post-Brexit trade arrangements, Buta Atwal said his view is: “The simpler business is, the more of it you can do.
“My personal view is all businesses want the least amount of barriers of trade and whatever that is designed at, that’s what we want.”
Meanwhile, commenting on his latest business venture, Jo Bamford said AllServiceOne will target a range of industries.
“Our vast experience and reputation in the zero-emissions transport sector means we are well positioned to offer this kind of service, it’s just another way of demonstrating how much talent and skill our teams have - and how we don’t rest on our laurels, particularly when it comes to supporting the country’s decarbonisation targets,” he said.
