Alexander Dennis has officially opened an extension to its Ballymena office facility in Northern Ireland, which first opened five years ago.
The expanded office space was inaugurated on 9 December by Mayor for Mid and East Antrim Alderman Beth Adger MBE and Alexander Dennis President & Managing Director Paul Davies. The Ballymena facility was established as an office following an initial recruitment drive that saw 25 engineers join the manufacturer’s team, drawing on what the manufacturer calls a ‘strong pool of local talent’ in Mid and East Antrim at a time when the future of neighbouring Wrightbus was in doubt.
The facility has since grown from an engineering office to a multi-skilled site, home to 35 team members from a variety of functions including finance and procurement as well as contract and project management. To enable further growth, the company reports that additional space has been secured in the same building to accommodate additional office space, an electrical engineering test facility and a meeting and training area.
Mayor Adger said: “We are incredibly proud to have Alexander Dennis as part of our borough’s industrial landscape. At a time when climate action and green innovation are more important than ever, Alexander Dennis’ work in developing next-generation vehicles shows real progress. Its commitment to sustainability aligns closely with our own ambitions here in Mid and East Antrim. We are working towards a cleaner, greener future, and it is inspiring to have Alexander Dennis who shares these values and is helping to make this vision a reality.”
Paul Davies added: “This investment in an expanded facility underlines not only the commitment to our existing team, but also to attracting more talent from the local area to ensure we keep ‘leading the ZEvolution.’ From a small start five years ago, we have grown to become an integral part of the wider Alexander Dennis business. Our thanks go to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council which has been incredibly supportive from the start, and we are delighted to welcome the Mayor as we celebrate our anniversary and the bright future ahead of us here in Ballymena.
James McKergan, Head of Engineering and site lead for the Ballymena facility, commented: “Over the five years since we opened, we have managed to build a great team with a mix of experience and youth that epitomises the overall culture here at Alexander Dennis. This makes the company in general and the Ballymena site in particular a great place to come to work, and we look forward to continuing our growth journey over the coming years.”
