Reeve Burgess to build ambulances
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11/ Bus builder Reeve Burgess of Pilsley, Chesterfield, is to set up a specialist separate ambulance-building business, Reebur Ambulance, at nearby Tibshelf.
It recently acquired tooling and other assets from Hanlon, of Longford, Ireland, which closed last year because of labour disputes.
Reeve Burgess managing director David Quainton says the new factory could produce 250 purpose-built ambulances a year. Sixty Ford Transit-based units have been ordered by Clywd and Humberside health authorities: the first will be delivered in March.
The Hanlon tooling covers front-line ambulances on Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Freight Rover chassis, and interior conversions for the Renault Master van. The new product will fit in well with the company's welfare range.
The UK ambulance market is said to be worth about 800 vehicles a year. and Reebur Ambulance will compete with other established builders such as Walham Stringer of Water looville, Hants, whose managing director Geoff Bailey said last week that it was ready to meet any competition. The proportion of coachbuilt ambulances was falling slowly in favour of van conversions, he said: less than 450 were coachbuilt last year Wadham Stringer exports about 25% of its ambulance output, including its interchangeable body system offering demountable front-line or seated-case ambulance options. It sells about 200 a year of these units.