Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Zero-emission bus pioneer Wrightbus has announced the acquisition of English Midlands firm RGI in a ‘pivotal’ deal to continue the firm’s push into bus refurbishment and repair. In what has been an already stellar year for the Ballymena-based firm, during which it was named as the fastest-growing bus manufacturer in Europe as well as unveiling a £500 million deal with Go-Ahead, the buy-out of highly-regarded RGI Bus and Coach Refurbishment Limited underlines its commitment to growth and expansion.

The deal will enable Wrightbus and its subsidiary NewPower to offer a complete suite of refurbishment options, from upholstery to metalwork, alongside its existing powertrain conversion operation.

Wrightbus CEO Jean-Marc Gales (pictured right) said the company was entering a bold new phase in a bid to underline its global credentials. “The growth of this company is entirely dependent on our incredible staff delivering world-leading products and services,” he explained. “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, secures RGI’s impressive facilities in Southam along with 13 members of staff. It also sees RGI owner Ross Cleaver (pictured left) join Wrightbus as Head of Repair and Refurbishment UK.

Ross 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.”

Added Jean-Marc Gales: “We extend a very warm welcome to Ross and his team and we know that their experience and skill-set 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.”