Centre of Excellence and heritage centre set to open in UK, and supply agreement signed to produce zero-emission buses in the Australian market.
Under a new agreement, Nexport, an Australian-owned supplier and producer of electric buses, will assemble bodies locally from the Alexander Dennis Enviro family on BYD chassis for the local Australian market. Nexport will also lead the customer sales and service relationship in the country.
ADL said that the supply agreement will bring a range of new locally-assembled electric bus products to Australian customers, providing bus types that are currently not available to local operators. The first of the range released will include a 9.7-metre electric city bus as well as 11.6-metre and 12.5-metre models. The first buses are expected to be on the road in early 2022, with volume production to be underway by the end of that year.
Paul Soubry, President and Chief Executive Officer of ADL parent company NFI, said: “We continue to look for innovative ways to lead the evolution to zero-emission mobility around the world and this strategic partnership between ADL and Nexport will help further support that evolution in the southern hemisphere. Our electric buses and coaches have seen strong growth in numerous markets and through this partnership, our electric vehicles will now be available in five countries, with plans for further geographic expansion in the near future through ADL.”
Paul Davies, President and Managing Director of ADL, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with Nexport in the Australian market as we believe that our globally-renowned buses can help deliver the country’s decarbonisation agenda. This agreement with Nexport fits perfectly with our model of manufacturing close to our customers, supporting highly skilled local jobs and developing skills in green technology while adding value to local economies. We’re thrilled to be collaborating with Nexport who share our unwavering focus of delivering best-in-class customer support and outstanding quality.”
Michel van Maanen, CEO of Nexport, added: “This agreement will be another significant boost to the Australian manufacturing renaissance. We are delighted to partner with Alexander Dennis, which has been extremely progressive in the zero-emission bus space globally. For Nexport to be able to partner with such a strong global company further demonstrates our business objective to bring the world’s best zero-emission mobility technology to our shores and manufacture the products locally, by Australians.”
Nexport already has Australian body building experience, producing electric buses in Victoria and New South Wales, and has an exclusive distribution agreement with BYD in Australia across various product categories including buses, vans, and cars.
Centre for heritage and excellence
At a recent online event, ADL Managing Director Paul Davies also announced the creation of a new facility at Farnborough, which the manufacturer intends to develop as a centre for excellence. It will form part of the company’s engineering and development facilities, as well as housing a new heritage centre, which will feature a number of Dennis vehicles including fire engines and Dennis Darts, and serve as a reminder of the importance and ethos of the Dennis brand. See this week’s feature starting on page 26 for more details.
