The Yorkshire-based electric bus and coach specialist can now hold larger stocks of spare parts for the growing number of Yutong vehicles it has sold in the UK
Pelican Bus & Coach is continuing to invest in expanding its facilities with the opening of a new national parts distribution centre dedicated to its fast-growing coach and bus division.
Located adjacent to junction 31 of the M62, and close to Pelican’s existing facilities, the new 12,000sq ft building has been purchased and fitted with two-level racking, enabling it to carry sufficient parts to support all types of Yutong coaches buses in service in the UK, especially its electric bus fleet customers.
The move coincides with the appointment of Sam Williams to the role of Yutong bus and coach parts Operations Manager. With a wealth of experience of managing multi-site parts operations, Sam’s role at Pelican is to optimise the stockholding and distribution function in order to maximise customer satisfaction. He will be visiting customers nationwide from September.
Pelican has also reported a 70% uplift in turnover to £73m for the year ending 31 March 2022, with the company benefitting from growth across all its business operations, including strong revenues at its DAF and MAN truck dealerships. The firm says it has seen fast growing interest in its range of zero-emission electric coaches and buses from all sections of the industry. The diesel coach business is also recovering well after the devastating effects of Covid-19 on the coach industry, the company says.
Richard Crump, Managing Director of Pelican, commented: “After the disruption of the last two years, we are seeing all parts of the business recovering well and will be re-investing our increased revenues in plant, resources and people to better support our customers into the future.
“Despite being possibly the oldest commercial vehicle dealership in the country, we are at the forefront of introducing the very latest electric vehicle technology to the UK market. As well as the significant investment in our new showroom, we are also investing in our warehousing and parts distribution ahead of the 1,000th Yutong vehicle sale expected early next year.”
Head of Pelican Yutong Bus Ian Downie added: “In addition to the growth of our DAF and MAN truck dealerships, we’ve also seen sales of our zero-emission vehicle division gaining momentum as we partner with coach and bus operators and local authorities nationwide. Since 2020, when we delivered our first Yutong zero-emission vehicles, we have grown our share to over 10% of the UK market for all-electric passenger vehicles and become one of the largest suppliers nationally.
“By the end of 2022, we will have increased our supply of zero-emission single deck buses further and will have a total of 240 vehicles in service, and we’re also focused on growing our range and services to the UK’s coach operators who have shown that they are keen to adopt the latest technology, adding greener and more efficient alternatives to their fleets.
“As well as receiving orders from new customers, we are already seeing repeat orders from operators in England, Scotland and Wales who have trialled zero-emission vehicles and seen the benefits, and we have a strong pipeline of orders going forward.”
Simon Collins, Coach Sales Manager at Pelican, added: “The coach industry is again demonstrating its resilience with increased orders and enquires for our diesel and electric coach range, such as the market-leading TC9. Our expanded salesforce, including Amelia Crump, the fourth generation of the Crump family, is continually working with our customers on additional business.”
