Great deal for Alexander
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• A growing order book has prompted Alexander to transfer its minibus production from Scotland to Northern Ireland.
Production of the AM-type body, built mainly on MercedesBenz 709 and 811 chassis, has begun at the company's plant at Mallusk in Co Antrim. The first 60 of a bulk order for Stagecoach companies — 25-seaters on Mercedes 709s — are due for delivery by the end of the year.
Alexander (Belfast) managing director Mike Ford-Hutchinson says this will guarantee employment for its 152-strong workforce for another year. Ths Scottish factory at Falkirk is recruiting up to 100 extra workers to handle additional orders for large buses.
The Mallusk plant also builds Q-type single-deckers; the last of 250 Leyland Tigers for Ulsterbus will be built by mid-1993.
It is bidding for double-deck, single-deck and minibus contracts advertised by Dublin Bus.
The Stagecoach order is Mercedes' biggest-ever UK minibus contract, calling for 160 to be delivered by early 1994, with an optiuon to buy a further 150 after that. Estimated value of the initial order is Om to each of the two manufacturers at £37,500 per bus.
Alexander announced the order for 150 of these bodies earlier this year (CM4-10 June): the deal was officially signed in April.
They are being bought for the phased replacement of older minibuses in the Stagecoach fleets — many of them Iveco Dailybuses — and are similar to 100 buses delivered two years ago.