How London busmaker Wrightbus is creating thousands of '未来 proof' 職業s - at a former cigarette factory
At a time when the 法人組織の／企業の and 投資 worlds are busy evangelising over the 可能性のある for 人工的な 知能, bus 製造業の may not be the first 産業 that comes to mind at the thought of cutting-辛勝する／優位 科学（工学）技術.
But on the former 場所／位置 of a JTI Gallaher cigarette factory in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, a British company is 速く developing world-first 科学（工学）技術, creating thousands of 技術d 職業s and setting its sights on 全世界の 拡大.
‘It’s buzzing here,’ 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある ジーンズ-Marc 強風s says of the 100-acre 場所／位置 that saw 800 職業 losses when タバコ 製造業の 中止するd in 2017.
‘We’ve gone from producing eight buses a week 早期に last year to 22 a week today - next year it will be 26, it's a different factory and it's buzzing with life.
‘We’re about to introduce a nightshift on the main 議会 line, so we’ll be working day and night to decarbonise here.’
乗り物 退役軍人: 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある ジーンズ-損なう 強風s was 任命するd after 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある 役割s at Citreon, Peugeot and Lotus, and served as 議長，司会を務める of Williams 前進するd 工学
Wrightbus reborn
If you’ve travelled by bus or coach in the UK at any point over the last 75 years, there’s a reasonable chance you’ve used a 乗り物 製造（する）d by Wrightbus.
From its roots as a provider of buses to the Tyrone 郡 Education 委員会 in the 1950s, Wrightbus was behind London’s iconic ‘bendy bus’ in 2001 and the ‘Boris bus’ a １０年間 later.
The group was a 重要な 供給者 to 地元の 当局 and providers across the UK throughout most of its 存在 - before 衝突，墜落ing into insolvency in 2019.
Having then been saved under the ambitious 所有権 of entrepreneur Jo Bamford, Wrightbus is now under the leadership of a 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある with an impressive 記録，記録的な／記録する of turnaround stories.
Boss 強風s was 任命するd last year on the 支援する of success in the モーター 産業, 含むing 主要な Peugeot and Lotus.
‘Wrightbus was in a much better 状況／情勢 than when I joined Lotus in 2014,’ laughs 強風s.
‘Lotus had more losses than 歳入s per year when I joined. When I left and we sold the company to Geely three years later, the company had a 二塁打-digit EBITDA (収入s before 利益／興味, 税金, 価値低下 and amortisation).
‘But what all those 役割s have in ありふれた is 規模ing a 商売／仕事, 準備するing it for 未来 growth, and returning it to 利益（をあげる）.’
Higher 天井: The Ballymena factory 推定する／予想するs to 雇う 2,000 労働者s by next year?
World firsts for 無 放出／発行s
A reborn Wrightbus has fuelled 早い 拡大 with the UK-based 開発 of first-of-their-肉親，親類d, 無-放出／発行 乗り物s, 誘発するing it to be 指名するd の中で Britain’s 100 fastest growing companies in this year’s Growth 索引.
The group 誇るs the world’s first 二塁打-decker hydrogen bus, and its 選び出す／独身-deck 同等（の）, 同様に as ‘the world’s most efficient 二塁打-deck electric open 最高の，を越す’, the latter of which readers may recognise from the hundreds of tourist 大勝するs circling Britain’s cities.
‘Depending on the year, our 年次の growth 率 has been between 50 and 80 per cent,’ says 強風s.
‘We are now the number one 無-放出／発行 bus 製造業者 in the UK and Europe - we are probably one of the fastest growing large 製造業の 商売／仕事s in the UK.’
He 追加するs that a sharp 焦点（を合わせる） on cost 管理／経営 will see the group 堅固に profitable for 2024, with Wrightbus ‘的ing over half a billion of 歳入s this year, up from a 記録，記録的な／記録する of around £300million last year’.
‘And we’ll be putting a 相当な 量 of that £500million 支援する into 研究 and 開発,’ 強風s says.
Having built just 274 buses in 2021, Wrightbus 推定する／予想するs to より勝る 1,000 buses this year.
This has been made possible with extra 雇うing, with Wrightbus 従業員 numbers 推定する／予想するd to grow from 1,000 when 強風s joined to more than 2,000 next year, from a 現在の level of around 1,800.
‘We also have 50 見習い工s, and we will be 追加するing 80,’ 公式文書，認めるs the French (n)役員／(a)執行力のある, an engineer by 貿易（する）.
‘And there's no age 限界 for that, so anyone who wants a career change or new 産業 is welcome to join us.
‘These are 未来-proof, 技術d 職業s that we create in the UK ? and every 職業 here creates three 職業s in the 供給（する） chain as we're sourcing from 47 郡s across the country.’
Futuristic: The group 誇るs the world’s first 二塁打 and 選び出す／独身 deck hydrogen buses
Wrightbus bets on hydrogen
Of the buses sold by Wrightbus this year, 80 per cent are electric 殴打／砲列-力／強力にするd, while hydrogen and 伝統的な ディーゼル engines （不足などを）補う 10 per cent each.
The 会社／堅い 推定する／予想するs the 株 of ディーゼル 乗り物s to 落ちる over time, as its 顧客s 徐々に 段階 out the 科学（工学）技術, and for the 株 of hydrogen 乗り物s to rise.
But why hydrogen?
‘率直に, our 電気の grids are 限られた／立憲的な - if we start from tomorrow everyone in the UK 非難する our electric cars and buses, we wouldn't be able to put the kettle on for a cup of tea,’ 強風s explains.
‘The grid is 悪名高くも already overcharged. And hydrogen is 明白に an excellent source of energy that can also be 蓄える／店d.’
The 科学（工学）技術 also 許すs for longer 旅行s than 現在／一般に feasible under their electric 同等（の）s.
強風s says: ‘On longer 大勝するs you 絶対 cannot do electric - as soon as it goes over 200 miles a day, it's becoming difficult. And I know that some people 否定する that.
‘But if you have a coach that goes from Birmingham to London and 支援する again, for example, you can’t just stop and 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 for two hours.
‘You can 燃料再補給する within minutes with hydrogen, so for 確かな 使用／適用s hydrogen is the only source that that we see - that's why we are developing hydrogen coach that will come to the market in 中央の-2026.’
注目する，もくろむ on the horizon: Wrightbus is setting its sights on 全世界の 拡大 for its buses
International 拡大
Just this week the group sold 46 hydrogen buses to a German 輸送（する） provider in the city of Cottbus, Brandenburg.
It is not the first 取引，協定 Wrightbus has made in the country, which is 上げるing 貿易（する） with a ?350million (£300million) 補助金 計画／陰謀 to support the 生産／産物 of renewable hydrogen.
And Wrightbus is setting its sights even その上の afield in 成果／努力s to 運動 未来 growth.
強風s says: ‘In the last few months, we’ve won five large European tenders.
‘We have a factory in Malaysia, which next year will be starting 生産／産物 for a bus for Hong Kong and Singapore.
‘We [以前] had a good market 株 in Hong Kong and Singapore, but we're going to return to those markets with a new 電気の 二塁打 decker with three axels.
‘That will be a very strong 未来 商売／仕事 for Wrightbus in that 地域, from which we will 拡大する to Singapore to sell and build there. From there we can send to Australia and to New Zealand, which are also 伝統的な places for our buses.’
