Optare in business
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by Noel Millier
BRITAIN'S newest independent bodybuilder has completed its first vehicle.
Optare, which has taken over the former Charles Roe (Leyland Bus) works in Leeds, has delivered the first of 14 operator designed Dennis Domino 33-seat rear-engined midbuses for South Yorkshire PTE.
The company only came into being this year as a result of an initiative by managing director Russell Richardson, a former Roe plant manager, who approached the West Yorkshire Enterprise Board with an in-depth proposal to save the plant and its associated coachbuilding skills.
As a result, Optare has been established and now has a workforce approaching 100 former Roe employees with others from. the previous 400strong workforce waiting for jobs to become available if the new company expands.
Each worker has also become an Optare shareholder and the factory operates in a flexible manner with no demarcation between trades.
The Optare shares are in three blocks, with around half owned by the West Yorkshire Enterprise Board and half owned by the workforce. Mr Richardson holds the balance.
Optare produces a large amount of its own body components and already has its fibreglass manufacturing area and seat making department in operation to support its main coachbuilding business.
In addition to the South Yorkshire Dominos, it has orders from West Yorkshire PTE for Leyland designed double-deckers on Leyland Olympian chassis and Leyland Cub-based midibuses.
It also plans products to meet other demands and future developments could well include the introduction of minibuses, welfare and community buses and ambulances.
The company is already manufacturing some body components for other companies including, ironically, some small parts for Leyland's National-based railcar.
Features of the all-aluminium bodies for South Yorkshire include an engine anti-fire system operated from the driver's cab.