ADL receives £7.3m R&D funding

Alexander Dennis Ltd (ADL) is to receive Scotland’s largest ever research and development (R&D) grant. The Falkirk based firm will receive £7.3m from Scottish Enterprise (SE) to accelerate its £31m low carbon vehicles programme. This is expected to create 101 new jobs and secure 126 existing jobs. The project aims to take advantage of the growing global demand for hybrid and electric buses and is fundamental to the company’s plans to double turnover by 2020 through new product development for UK and international markets.

CEO of ADL, Colin Robertson, said, ‘We are delighted that Scottish Enterprise supports us in our aim of developing low and zero emission buses for the global market. We look forward to local authorities and cities around the UK as well as abroad seizing the opportunity to introduce these next generation vehicles which bring massive benefits to passengers, city dwellers and the environment. This investment in new product development enables companies like our own to stay at the forefront of industry at home and overseas and will help us achieve our strategic goal of a £1bn turnover by 2020.’

First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said, ‘Alexander Dennis is one of the world’s leading bus and coach builders and a true Scottish success story. The project is integral to ADL’s growth and export strategy to capture more of the increasing global demand for environmentally friendly buses. ADL’s continued commitment to invest in Scotland is testament to the skilled workforce here in Falkirk. We’ll continue to work with manufacturers like ADL to innovate and expand and we’ll set out further measures to grow the Scottish economy later this week.’