Wrights creates 130 new jobs

Ballymena based Wrights Group is investing over £14m in five research and development projects and is also creating 130 new jobs. The company already employs around 1,800 staff in Northern Ireland. The new jobs are being created in Wright EN-Drive, the company’s dedicated facility for the design and manufacture of integral vehicle chassis. Invest NI has offered £650,000 of support for the 130 jobs through its Jobs Fund and £1.8m for the R&D projects, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

The R&D projects brought about by the investment include developing a range of low-cost premium class buses and coaches for the Indian market, low height and narrower double deckers for Australia/New Zealand; electric powered, zero emission single and double deckers for Hong Kong; buses to meet the operational requirements in Middle East countries and a new integral chassis.

Group MD of Wrights Group, Mark Nodder, said, ‘Our aim is to become a world class designer and manufacturer of integral public transport vehicles and evolve into a major international supplier to the worldwide bus market. This investment brings us a step closer to achieving that. With Invest NI’s support we will be able to bring products to market quickly, and we anticipate that within four years we can triple export sales.’