Alexander Dennis
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Distinguish Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for clobbered parameters|check|nested=1|template=Infobox company|cat=Template:Main other|name; company_name|logo; company_logo|logo_alt; alt|trade_name; trading_name|former_names; former_name|type; company_type|predecessors; predecessor|successors; successor|foundation; founded|founders; founder|defunct; dissolved|hq_location; location|hq_location_city; location_city|hq_location_country; location_country|num_locations; locations|areas_served; area_served|net_income; profit|net_income_year; profit_year|owners; owner |homepage; website }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox company with unknown parameter "_VALUE_" | ignoreblank=y | alt | area_served | areas_served | assets | assets_year | aum | brands | company_logo | company_name | company_type | defunct | dissolved | divisions | embed | equity | equity_year | fate | footnotes | headquarters | former_name | former_names | foundation | founded | founder | founders | genre | homepage | hq_location | hq_location_city | hq_location_country | incorporated | image | image_alt | image_caption | image_size | image_upright | income_year | industry | ISIN | key_people | location | location_city | location_country | locations | logo | logo_alt | logo_caption | logo_class | logo_size | logo_upright | members | members_year | module | name | native_name | native_name_lang | net_income | net_income_year | num_employees | num_employees_year | num_locations | num_locations_year | operating_income | owner | owners | parent | predecessor | predecessors | production | production_year | products | profit | profit_year | rating | ratio | revenue | revenue_year | romanized_name | services | subsid | subsidiaries | successor | successors | traded_as | trade_name | trading_name | type | website| qid | fetchwikidata | suppressfields | noicon | nocat | demo | categories }}
Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom, with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> China, Europe, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Singapore, South Africa and the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
TransBus - the precursor of Alexander Dennis
Mayflower Corporation acquired Scottish bus-makers, Walter Alexander, in August 1995<ref>Mayflower acquisition cash call The Times 7 June 1996; pg. 30; Issue 65600</ref> and English bus-makers, Dennis Group, in October 1998.<ref>Dennis Group held steady The Times, 21 October 1998; pg. 28; Issue 66338</ref> In 2000, Mayflower and Henlys Group merged their British bus-making operations into a 70:30 joint venture with Alexander, Dennis and Henlys' Plaxton merged to form TransBus International. The factories concerned employed 3,300 staff in seven places in England (Anston, Guildford, Scarborough and Wigan), Scotland (Falkirk) and Northern Ireland (Belfast).<ref>Joint venture for Henlys and Mayflower The Times 2 August 2000; pg.</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Plaxton's Scarborough operations was planned to close on 3 May 2001<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with the loss of 700 jobs blamed on the fall in tourism after the foot and mouth epidemic broke out. Minibus production was moved to the former Walter Alexander factory at Falkirk.<ref>Mayflower to lose 700 jobs The Times 4 May 2001; pg. 24; issue 67130</ref> However, the Scarborough factory did not close altogether, for 200 staff returned to work after the summer break.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Mayflower was valued at £700 million in 1999. By March 2004, that stock market valuation had fallen to £22 million.<ref>Offers made to take helm of the foundering Mayflower The Times 15 March 2004; pg. 23; issue 68023</ref> The following month Mayflower was placed in administration, amid accusations of four years of falsifying crucial company records as to customers' payments to HSBC, counting the same income twice.<ref>Engineering The Times 19 April 2004; pg. 20; issue 68053</ref> One outcome was that certain members of the Dennis pension fund would receive only 40 per cent of their pensions, though others would continue to receive their full entitlement.<ref>Most Dennis pension holders to get only 40% The Times 21 June 2004; pg. [19]; issue 68107</ref> TransBus was also placed in administration.
TransBus Plaxton was sold to in a management buyout to Brian Davidson and Mike Keane with the support of a private equity group.<ref>Managers buy Plaxton The Times 17 May 2004; pg. [19]; issue 68077</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Formation of Alexander Dennis
A group of Scottish investors, Noble Grossart, David Murray, Brian Souter and Ann Gloag, purchased the business from administrator Deloitte in May 2004.<ref>Mayflower chiefs 'may be liable for pension hole'. The Times, 22 May 2004; pg. 54; Issue 68082</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Sir Angus jumps the bus Sunday Herald 26 December 2004</ref>
The former Alexander Belfast plant was not included in the deal and closed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Alexander Dennis ultimately inherited a number of plants from TransBus: the former Alexander factories in Falkirk, Scotland; the Dennis factory in Guildford and later the former Plaxton factories in Anston and Scarborough.<ref name="adlhistory">Template:Cite web</ref> The former Northern Counties factory in Wigan closed in January 2005.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Dennis Group had produced a range of both bus and coach chassis and bodies as well as fire engines.<ref name="autonews">Template:Cite news</ref> Included among its range of chassis were the Dennis Dart and Dennis Trident.<ref name="adlhistory" /><ref name="autonews" /> They also produced export variants for service in Hong Kong, Singapore and other locations.<ref name="adlhistory" /> Plaxton made coaches,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as well as the President double decker body (built on Trident, DAF DB250 and Volvo B7TL chassis) and the single decker Pointer body, built on the Dart chassis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In May 2007, Alexander Dennis purchased Plaxton, thus reuniting the two former TransBus businesses.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In October 2008, Alexander Dennis signed a deal with ElDorado National to assemble the Enviro500 for the United States market.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2011, Alexander Dennis entered an agreement with Kiwi Bus Builders to assemble its products for the New Zealand market.<ref>120 Enviro200s on the way to New Zealand Bus & Coach Professional 11 January 2011</ref><ref>Enviro buses roll into town Bay of Plenty Times 27 June 2011</ref>
In May 2012, NFI Group and Alexander Dennis announced a new joint-venture to design and manufacture medium-duty low-floor bus (or midi bus) for the North American market. New Flyer would handle production and marketing, and Alexander Dennis would handle the engineering and testing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The joint venture was dissolved in 2017.<ref>Enviro200 joint venture terminates Buses issue 748 July 2017 page 21</ref> In June 2012, Alexander Dennis acquired Australian bodybuilder Custom Coaches.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, in May 2014, Custom Coaches was placed into administration and later sold to a consortium headed by its former owner.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Burgess buys back Custom Coaches Australasian Bus & Coach 18 August 2014</ref>
In 2015 Alexander Dennis established an assembly plant in Vaughan, Ontario for orders to Metrolinx.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>World News Buses Worldwide issue 201 April 2016 page 44</ref> In October 2015, Alexander Dennis signed a deal with BYD to body electric buses.<ref>Falkirk-based Alexander Dennis signs bus deal with China's BYD BBC News 22 October 2015</ref> From 2021, Alexander Dennis will build its own electric chassis.<ref>BYD ADL partnership accelerates electrification with the design and assembly of electric bus chassis in the UK Alexander Dennis 11 January 2021</ref>
NFI Group era
In May 2019, Alexander Dennis was sold to NFI Group, in a deal worth £320 million. Souter Investments retain an interest, taking shares in NFI Group as part of the transaction.<ref>Souter Investments Completes Sale of Alexander Dennis Limited to NFI Group Souter Investments 28 May 2019</ref> The two companies had been engaged in a joint venture from 2012 until 2017.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In August 2020, Alexander Dennis announced plans to cut 650 jobs from its UK manufacturing sites including Falkirk, Scarborough and Guildford, citing a demand drop due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bus chassis production moved from Guildford to Falkirk.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
June 2021 saw Alexander Dennis open a base in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, which was described by local media as "boosting economic growth".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In July 2021, Alexander Dennis announced plans for construction of a new staff office complex and museum in Farnborough, Hampshire named Trident House. The centre was expected to be completed in early 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Alexander Dennis also entered a business partnership with Australian electric bus supplier Nexport to assemble electric city buses locally, with Australian manufacturing expected to begin in early 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In April 2022, Alexander Dennis commenced trials of an autonomous Alexander Dennis Enviro200 MMC working with Stagecoach Group,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as part of a two-week pilot. Two months later in June, the company formally opened its Trident House complex, while at the same time, launched a refresh of its brand identity.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Consolidation
.jpg){kind=link}
After building a batch of Enviro400FCEV buses in a pilot scheme at the site in 2022, Alexander Dennis announced it would expand its Larbert headquarters by converting on-site warehouse space to bus manufacturing facilities. Production of the second-generation Alexander Dennis Enviro400EV is planned to begin at Larbert from August 2023, taking the company's manufacturing footprint in the United Kingdom to three sites.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In June 2025, however, Alexander Dennis announced production at Larbert was to be suspended, with plans also being consulted to shut down its factory in Falkirk in an effort to cut costs and 'duplicate activities'. It is planned for all UK manufacturing to be consolidated in Scarborough, risking the loss of 400 jobs at Falkirk and Larbert, representing 22% of the Alexander Dennis workforce.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As a result of uncertainty surrounding the Falkirk factory, Fife-based Greenfold Systems, one of Alexander Dennis' parts suppliers, entered administration on 10 July with the loss of 81 jobs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Amid negotiations between Alexander Dennis and the Scottish Government, Alexander Dennis placed the Falkirk factory up for sale at the end of July.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Amid the uncertainty over Falkirk, in August 2025, Alexander Dennis launched a subsidiary in partnership with KleanDrive named AD Repower, specialising in the fitting of Voith Electrical Drive System drivetrains and KleanDrive 'plug and play' software to existing diesel Alexander Dennis buses. A pilot Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC converted to battery electric drive is set to be launched for the United Kingdom market in 2026, with AD Repower planned to be expanded to other ADL products and to international markets if uptake for the Enviro400 MMC conversion proves strong.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
A second North American factory owned and operated by US subsidiary Alexander Dennis Incorporated, located in North Las Vegas, Nevada, was also opened in August 2025 to assemble Buy America Act-compliant Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMCs for the North American market, with the first ten Enviro500 MMCs built at the factory delivered to RTC Transit for use on 'The Deuce', which runs along the Las Vegas Strip.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 15 September, the Scottish Government announced that following negotiations involving Alexander Dennis, Scottish Enterprise and trade unions, the company's Falkirk and Larbert facilities were to remain open and manufacturing, saving the 400 threatened jobs through a £4Template:Nbspmillion 26-week furlough scheme. Alexander Dennis' position in Scotland was bolstered with the receipt of new single and double-decker bus orders, however eleven workers not related to Scottish manufacturing were still at risk of redundancy as a result of company reorganisation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Products
Buses
Current
Complete buses
- Enviro100EV (2023-present)<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Enviro200MMC (2015–present)
- Enviro200EV (2015-present)
- Enviro400MMC (2014–present)
- Enviro400 City (2015–present)
- Enviro400EV (2018-present)<ref name=":0" />
- Enviro500MMC (2012–present)
- Enviro500EV (2021-present)<ref name=":0" />
Discontinued
_DEUCE_ADL_Enviro500_Las_Vegas_Blvd_near_STRAT_(51715652652).jpg){kind=link}
Bus bodies
- Pointer (2001–2007, originally made by Plaxton, replaced by Enviro200 Dart)
- ALX300 (2001-2007, originally Alexander, replaced by Enviro300)
- ALX400 (2001-2006, originally Alexander, replaced by Enviro400)
- President (2001-2005, originally Plaxton, replaced by Enviro400)
Complete buses (or chassis/body only)
- Enviro200/200H (TransBus, 2003–2007)
- Enviro200 Dart (2006–2017, Enviro200H hybrid 2008–2011)
- Enviro300 (2001–2015)
- Enviro350H (2010-2013)
- Enviro400 (2005–2018)
- Enviro500 (2002–2014)
Bus chassis
Coach chassis
Fire engine (Chassis and crew cab)
Fire engine vehicles were built by Dennis Group and sold under the Dennis Fire brand until 2007. The bodywork on a majority of the later chassis were built by a neighbouring company, John Dennis Coachbuilders Limited.
Discontinued
See also
References
External links
Template:Alexander Dennis Template:European bus builders Template:Automotive industry in the United Kingdom Template:Bus transport in the United Kingdom Template:Bus manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom
- Pages with broken file links
- Alexander Dennis
- Motor vehicle manufacturers of Scotland
- Hybrid electric bus manufacturers
- Emergency services equipment makers
- Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2004
- British companies established in 2004
- 2004 establishments in Scotland
- Companies based in Falkirk (council area)
- 2019 mergers and acquisitions
- British subsidiaries of foreign companies
- Larbert
- Scottish brands