Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Scotland-based Alexander Dennis, which is a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. and one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, has announced plans to expand its Larbert head office and facility into a manufacturing site for the future. The UK’s largest bus and coach manufacturer, Alexander Dennis offers single and double deck buses under the Alexander Dennis brand as well as Plaxton coaches, with vehicles in service in the UK, Ireland, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada and the United States.

The Larbert site will focus on the production of the new Enviro400EV zero-emission bus from August 2023, assembling the next-generation body on the new Alexander Dennis battery-electric chassis. The decision follows a successful pilot programme to build Enviro400FCEV hydrogen fuel cell buses in Larbert.

The move expands Alexander Dennis’s UK manufacturing footprint from two to three production sites, meeting increasing demand for decarbonisation of public transport. The Larbert expansion, which converts existing warehouse space into production lines, supports the company’s 690+ green manufacturing jobs in Scotland. The Enviro400EV double deck that will be assembled at Larbert is the crowd-shifter, a core member of the next generation of battery-electric buses from Alexander Dennis. The double deck bus has been designed to move large numbers of people on busy urban corridors and interurban expresses with a total capacity of up to 96 passengers and an operational range of up to 260 miles on a single charge.

The Alexander Dennis head office remains at Larbert and work has already been completed to revamp the site’s office space to equip it for its future as a flexible environment that brings together key business teams and maximises utilisation under the hybrid working arrangements that are now standard across Alexander Dennis. The changes in Larbert are part of a company-wide modernisation journey that started with the opening of the new Farnborough facility in 2022 and which will continue in coming years as further members of the next generation of zero-emission buses are added to the Alexander Dennis portfolio.

Alexander Dennis has led the introduction of zero-emission mobility in the UK and Ireland since 2016 with the BYD–Alexander Dennis partnership, with close to 1,500 zero-emission vehicles delivered to date.

Alexander Dennis President & Managing Director Paul Davies said: “Over the past couple of years we have been laser focused on a modernisation agenda, underpinned by significant investment in our people, our products and our facilities. We not only need to future-proof our manufacturing capabilities for the ZEvolution but we also need to ensure that we create the best possible working environment in which our people can excel. This is another step on our Alexander Dennis journey to build a sustainable company for the future, with zero-emission buses being at the core of the repurposed and upgraded Larbert site.

“This marks another exciting milestone in our progress and development as a business and continues to define the Alexander Dennis zero-emission range as a serious catalyst for change in the UK bus industry.”

Pat Rafferty, Unite Scottish Secretary, said: “Unite warmly welcomes the announcement by Alexander Dennis to manufacture the next-generation Enviro400EV zero-emission buses and for the Larbert site to be upgraded to enable this exciting expansion. It is a great vote of confidence in Alexander Dennis’ world-class workforce and it helps to sustain hundreds of jobs in the local economy. Unite is pleased to play our full role in helping to firmly establish the company as a market leader in the manufacturing of green buses and to assisting with increasing global demand in order to meet the challenges associated with the decarbonisation of public transport.”