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DSV builds to meet demand
Page 20
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• Dennis Specialist Vehicles is to build a new £10 million factory at Guildford to cope with increased demand for its Javelin and Dart chassis. But at the same time parent company Trinity Holdings has announced the sale of Duple International's parts and two body designs to its main competitor, Plaxton Group.
Trinity director Geoff Hollyhead says there were conflicts between its roles as a chassis and bodybuilder, and Duple Coachbuilders has been unprofitable for several years because of reduced orders from National Bus as it moved to privatisation and deregulation. Dennis chassis have been successful, with the Javelin gaining 15% of the UK market in its first year. Now the company wants to develop a new range, including a double-decker bus "based on the success of Javelin and Dart".
Duple's parts and service business has been sold to Plax ton for £4 million with the jigs for the 300 Series body and 425 integral. Production of these will continue at Blackpool till October and will then transfer to Plaxton's Scarborough factory.
But Plaxton intends to divest itself of the chassis obligation on the 425, as it is against Plaxton's strategy to produce chassis or underframes," says Hollyhead.
Trinity is seeking a buyer for Duple's Dart bodywork but will continue to build at Blackpool for six months. The company is retaining the Duple site but has no intention of building chassis there.
Some 350 jobs will be lost, though some may transfer to Scarborough.
Export bus body kit builder Duple Metsec, based a Oldbury, remains in the Trinity group. Plaxton will provide parts support for all Duple products and plans to add Duple's sites in London, Blackpool and Glasgow to its own depots at Ware and Sheffield to form an enlarged spares and repairs network.