26/08/09

THE WRIGHT GROUP BREAK INTO ASIAN MARKET

The Wright Group has broken new ground in Asia with two significant contracts to build more than 200 buses in Singapore and Hong Kong.

The Ballymena company has been pursuing new market opportunities and these wins will not only reinforce their position as a world leader in public transit vehicle design, but also help the company to weather the current global economic downturn.

In partnership with Volvo, the Wright Group has won a contract to supply 150 buses to SBS Transit. This is the company’s first entry into the Singapore market and they will design and develop new bodywork kits for the Singapore market.

In addition, Wright Group engineers will travel to Singapore to train and support local manufacturers in the assembly and fitting of the kits. Wright Group sees this contract as an important step in their expansion in Asian markets both for completely built buses and kits depending on local demand. The company sees good prospects for further sales in South East Asia during the next few years.

Commenting on this breakthrough, Group Managing Director, Mark Nodder said:
“These contract wins come at a very important time for our company and reflect the hard work of all our staff to pursue new markets around the world.

We are keen to develop ourselves as global leaders in bus design, and will continue to actively pursue all opportunities available.

I would also like to thank Invest Northern Ireland for their ongoing support.”

Welcoming the announcement, Invest NI Chief Executive Alastair Hamilton said: “This demonstrates the Wright Group's commitment to becoming a global innovator in bus design and development.

“The Wright team has worked to secure this new contract despite global competition. This shows their customer focus, speed of response and world-leading reputation for innovation. Invest NI will continue to work with The Wright Group to identify and secure future export based growth opportunities.”

The contract win comes on the back of an order for 60 buses from Kowloon Motor Bus Company Ltd (KMB) in Hong Kong, also in partnership with Volvo. The order is for KMB – the world’s largest operator of heavy duty tri-axle double-decker air-conditioned city buses, with more than 95% of their fleet of approximately 4000 buses featuring air-conditioning.