Alexander Dennis
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Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) is a manufacturer of transit buses based in the United Kingdom. Their market reach also includes Continental Europe, Asia, North America, and Oceania.
History
Alexander Dennis started out as TransBus International on 1 January 2001. TransBus was the product of the merger of Mayflower Corporation-owned Walter Alexander Coachbuilders and Dennis Chassis, and Henlys owned-Plaxton.
TransBus was based in the United Kingdom and had the following factories: the former Alexander factories at Falkirk, Scotland and Belfast, Northern Ireland, the former Plaxton factories at Anston and Scarborough, the former Northern Counties factory at Wigan, and the Dennis factory at Guildford.
TransBus produced both bus & coach chassis and bodies as well as fire engines and waste collection vehicles. Included among its range of chassis were the Dart, one of the all time best selling buses in the UK, and the Trident. TransBus also produced export variants.
On 21 May 2004, the rest of TransBus (Alexander and Dennis) was bought by independent business men, and became Alexander Dennis. The sale did not include the former Alexander Belfast plant, however, and it later closed down. On 26 January 2005, Alexander Dennis's Wigan plant was closed after finishing the orders of its President body.
In May 2007, Alexander Dennis purchased Plaxton. The management still remains, and for the time being, the two companies' product lines remain seperate.[1]
In conjunction with unveiling their new Enviro500H in 2008, Alexander Dennis signed a deal with ElDorado National for ElDorado to assemble their buses in North America. This move gives Alexander Dennis full Buy America compliance. A new, purpose-built parts operation based in Las Vegas was also announced by Alexander Dennis to be up and running in the next few weeks. Their aftermarket operations for North America, supporting field engineers and satellite support centers will be based from there.[2] However, this agreement was terminated in 2012. The following year, Alexander Dennis entered into an agreement with ABC Companies to assemble the Enviro500 and Enviro400 low-floor, double-decker buses in the United States at their facility in Nappanee, Indiana beginning in 2014. At the end of December 2016, ownership and operation of the facility was transferred to Alexander Dennis. The facility was expanded and updated in 2017.[3]
In the July 15, 2010 issue of RouteOne magazine, an article appeared announcing Alexander Dennis's intention to build a hybrid single deck bus for the European market.[4] The bus would be a left-hand-drive, three-door, 12 metre, fully low floor, heavy duty (18 tonne) transit bus. The hybrid bus will use the BAE Systems HybriDrive series hybrid system.[5] Tata-Hispano has a deal with Alexander Dennis for exclusive rights to market the new bus in Spain and Portugal.[6] The bus, named the Enviro350H, was officially launched in November 2010 at the FIAA trade show in Madrid.
Alexander Dennis announced in March 2011, that they partnered with Sydney-based Custom Coaches to body their Enviro350H in Australia.[7] Alexander Dennis purchased Custom Coaches the following year in 2012, however after financial difficulties, it was sold to its original owners two years later.
In 2014, Metrolinx agreed to purchase 253 "Super-Lo" Enviro500 buses over a five-year period with an option for 150 more. As part of the agreement, a chassis assembly facility was constructed in Concord, Ontario.[8] The 45,000-square-foot facility was opened by 2016, and the first bus was delivered to GO Transit in the summer of that year.
In May 2019, New Flyer Industries announced its purchase of Alexander Dennis for £320 million.[9]
In 2021, NFI announced the integration of the Alexander Dennis North American manufacturing facilities into NFI's existing facilities. The location in Concord, Ontario closed in October 2021. The Nappanee and Peru, Indiana facilities closed in 2022. Future manufacturing of double-deck buses in North America was to take place at existing NFI locations. However in September 2023, Alexander Dennis announced that it has appointed Big Rig Manufacturing as contract manufacturing partner to meet a resurging interest in the Enviro500 for the North American market. The Enviro500 will be built at a new facility in Las Vegas, Nevada beginning in 2024.[10]
Current product lineup
Transit
- Enviro100EV
- Enviro200
- Enviro200EV
- Enviro200XLB
- Enviro400
- Enviro400 City
- Enviro400XLB
- Enviro400CBG
- Enviro400CBG City
- Enviro400ER
- Enviro400EV
- Enviro400FCEV
- Enviro400H
- Enviro400H City
- Enviro400VE
- Enviro500
- Enviro500EV
- Enviro500 SuperLo
Past product lineup
Transit
Complete
- Enviro200
- Enviro200H
- Enviro200H (2nd generation)
- Enviro300
- Enviro350H
- Enviro500H
Chassis
Body
References
- ↑ Plaxton bought by ADL, busandcoach.com, retrieved on 08-12-12
- ↑ Reaching new heights at Expo 2008, alexander-dennis.co.uk, retrieved on 08-12-12
- ↑ [http://www.alexander-dennis.com/news/alexander-dennis-inc-doubles-manufacturing-footprint-in-north-america/ Back Alexander Dennis Inc Doubles Manufacturing Footprint in North America]. 06 January 2017.
- ↑ RouteOne July 15, 2010 issue, route-one.net, retrieved on 2010-07-19
- ↑ ADL reveals next hybrid, route-one.net, retrieved on 2010-07-19
- ↑ ADL gears up for export drive with diesel and hybrid models, alexander-dennis.com, retrieved on 2010-11-12
- ↑ ADL extends hybrid range with three-door single deck for Europe: Next stop Australia, alexander-dennis.com, retrieved on 2010-11-19
- ↑ Metrolinx bus purchase to improve service and create jobs (press release). 24 November 2014. Metrolinx. Retrieved on 07 February 2015.
- ↑ Canadian bus company NFI acquires British double decker bus company for $546M. 28 May 2019. Retrieved on 28 May 2019.
- ↑ "Alexander Dennis appoints Big Rig Manufacturing as double deck build partner for North America." Press release. Alexander Dennis. 25 September 2023,
- Alexander Dennis, alexander-dennis.com, retrieved on 08-12-12
- Busride Magazine article on TransBus, busride.com, retrieved on 08-12-12