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Post by ThinLizzy on Sept 29, 2019 14:25:43 GMT
Surprised the Wright website is still live - they usually take the websites down as soon as any company enters administration.
ServerKing makes a very good point about warranty work there is a huge amount of buses in London that potentially could require work at some point. Shouldn't make a joke of the situation but hope a Frog Face G3 is persevered eventually as it's probably one on of the most love it or hate buses to have entered service in recent years. There will be plenty of them to be cannibalised to keep the others going As for the LT's that's the biggest ticking timebomb, as the high profile crashes means a new windscreen, either there's a PSV glass company that is now making such screens or there will be increased lead times for repair. I guess all of Wrightbus has gone (perhaps the web design team was sacked as well, and as it all happened over a weekend, nothing's been done)... jokes aside, they made tons of buses... every bus in Tottenham is a Wrightbus, save for E400s on the 279, 217 and occasional visitors to the 476 from the 191 / 231. I went to Luton yesterday and there's tons there too, from the early KE55*** Volvo's to the last of the ex 321 Streetlites. I see a lot of orders going into ADL now as operators may end leases early or order in before buses pack up. Obviously engineers (except Tottenham Garage ) should be able to maintain any engine regardless of body, but making panels, replacing light clusters etc will be an issue, going forward. Plus others in the supply chain are affected now. There was a planned protest at the Church built with Wrightbus money by the Prodigal Son son of the founder of the company. They had some people finishing off orders, but I can't see anyone buying them from a company that doesn't exist anymore. Deloitte will eventually turn the machine off as there's no buyer as the Wright family said no one was allowed to buy the land near the church (Green Pastures)... It does seem sudden, but this was a slow moving car crash from the start. No action taken to put the bigger engine in the Streetdeck (I guess none of them had a login for this forum ), fugly designs, cheap materials, then the Boris Bus fiasco was the icing on the cake. Since bus travel has dropped, (partly due to TfL's own mess, the base model, no frills, no wifi existence, crap branding, poor destination blinds, low speeds etc) Joe Public won't really care. The E400's and MCVs that some may have hoped for will now be a reality on future orders. The world will keep turning and life goes on. Like the staff at Toys R Us, they stopped caring. We just switched to Smythes Toys where we were greeted with a smile and better lighting. I feel for the dedicated workers, but not for the managers who didn't listen to their customers. Where were the accounts team who saw large amounts of money disappearing? This wasn't due to Sadiq Khan pulling the plug on the LT. They still went on to make hundreds more Streetdeck and G3 buses for the likes of First, Go Ahead and Arriva. Cornerstone Group (the name comes from a bible reference btw) was Jeff Wright's shell company used to strip assets as he said he was expected to take over running the family business, but was more keen to do evangelical work instead. Probably why there were no better ideas or development after their latest intepretation of the Gemini 3 / Streetdeck since 2015. Streetlite never changed since 2012. If this was a car manufacturer, they would have been bust years ago with such a poor lineup. People bought as it was cheap. Buy cheap, buy twice is what I have always thought (I am sat here in my Balenciaga PJ's at my oak desk typing this in the study, lol). I guess we will never see Go North East with a Citaro engine Streetdeck now the whole Green Pastures, ownership of the land etc does seem all a bit fishy to me. It's such a shame that a trailblazing company like Wrights, with its first Pathfinder low floor bodies, spae-ship like Solar and Eclipse bodies even up to the "Iron Man" latest range, should end up like this.
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Post by ServerKing on Sept 29, 2019 14:38:29 GMT
There will be plenty of them to be cannibalised to keep the others going As for the LT's that's the biggest ticking timebomb, as the high profile crashes means a new windscreen, either there's a PSV glass company that is now making such screens or there will be increased lead times for repair. I guess all of Wrightbus has gone (perhaps the web design team was sacked as well, and as it all happened over a weekend, nothing's been done)... jokes aside, they made tons of buses... every bus in Tottenham is a Wrightbus, save for E400s on the 279, 217 and occasional visitors to the 476 from the 191 / 231. I went to Luton yesterday and there's tons there too, from the early KE55*** Volvo's to the last of the ex 321 Streetlites. I see a lot of orders going into ADL now as operators may end leases early or order in before buses pack up. Obviously engineers (except Tottenham Garage ) should be able to maintain any engine regardless of body, but making panels, replacing light clusters etc will be an issue, going forward. Plus others in the supply chain are affected now. There was a planned protest at the Church built with Wrightbus money by the Prodigal Son son of the founder of the company. They had some people finishing off orders, but I can't see anyone buying them from a company that doesn't exist anymore. Deloitte will eventually turn the machine off as there's no buyer as the Wright family said no one was allowed to buy the land near the church (Green Pastures)... It does seem sudden, but this was a slow moving car crash from the start. No action taken to put the bigger engine in the Streetdeck (I guess none of them had a login for this forum ), fugly designs, cheap materials, then the Boris Bus fiasco was the icing on the cake. Since bus travel has dropped, (partly due to TfL's own mess, the base model, no frills, no wifi existence, crap branding, poor destination blinds, low speeds etc) Joe Public won't really care. The E400's and MCVs that some may have hoped for will now be a reality on future orders. The world will keep turning and life goes on. Like the staff at Toys R Us, they stopped caring. We just switched to Smythes Toys where we were greeted with a smile and better lighting. I feel for the dedicated workers, but not for the managers who didn't listen to their customers. Where were the accounts team who saw large amounts of money disappearing? This wasn't due to Sadiq Khan pulling the plug on the LT. They still went on to make hundreds more Streetdeck and G3 buses for the likes of First, Go Ahead and Arriva. Cornerstone Group (the name comes from a bible reference btw) was Jeff Wright's shell company used to strip assets as he said he was expected to take over running the family business, but was more keen to do evangelical work instead. Probably why there were no better ideas or development after their latest intepretation of the Gemini 3 / Streetdeck since 2015. Streetlite never changed since 2012. If this was a car manufacturer, they would have been bust years ago with such a poor lineup. People bought as it was cheap. Buy cheap, buy twice is what I have always thought (I am sat here in my Balenciaga PJ's at my oak desk typing this in the study, lol). I guess we will never see Go North East with a Citaro engine Streetdeck now the whole Green Pastures, ownership of the land etc does seem all a bit fishy to me. It's such a shame that a trailblazing company like Wrights, with its first Pathfinder low floor bodies, spae-ship like Solar and Eclipse bodies even up to the "Iron Man" latest range, should end up like this. If they did have MAN engines, they may have done better It's a shame but it's the classic corruption story. The Jeff Wright wanted to give a large amount of Wright's money "to the Lord" to ensure it "had His backing" - shorthand for stripping the money out of the business. Considering what a fiasco the Boris Bus was, they made a lot of money from it, and even set up new production lines (one of the main reason they moved to the current premises) to build it alongside the Gemini / StreetDeck. If I owned HP and I knew my daughter had more interest in setting up a hair dressing / beauty business, there's no way I'd force her into IT to inherit the business, then be upset when I see HP ProDry curling tongs in Currys, and less laptops over time Jeff Wright surrounded himself with yes men, and sacked those that opposed him, and as is usual the case with these high-profile collapses such as the Thomas Cook one earlier in the week, they have been lining their pockets for years. They could have stuck with Cummins to make a successor to the SB200 and carried on with the DB300 as the engines were upgraded to Euro6. A van engine in a bus (especially one with tables in Brighton spec) made no sense whatsoever. I guess it was just about trying to undercut ADL and flog suppliers tat. YouTube comments said it all about what people really thought of the products. It's like when the weathermen tell us of heavy snow that is on it's way, then days later, we wonder why we're stranded and no one's done any gritting or prepared for the event
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Post by snowman on Sept 29, 2019 16:44:40 GMT
Nothing new really, but nevertheless....... "The crisis at Wright’s is ongoing and the future of the factory and the order book must now be in doubt. Relatively little is due for our area, made up of StreetLites and StreetDecks for Arriva Southern Counties, two VHs for London United and twenty StreetDecks with hydrogen fuel cells for Metroline." online LOTS It was reported in one article that a lot of buyers were demanding COD (Cash on Delivery) due to quality issues and lapsed lead times in the run up to the collapse. As the Hydrogen buses were more than likely prototypes Wrightbus was hoping to convince the rest of London with, I assume Metroline have not parted with any money, and if so, Deloitte can refund them somehow. Arriva could either keep the KL52*** DLA's and ex Leicester Lowlanders going until getting some E400 MMC's in. In places renowned for thrash such as Yorkshire and Kent, I was surprised at the choice of a StreetDeck which is the polar opposite of performance for NSL roads (I think most Streetdecks struggle to reach 50) Regarding the hydrogen buses, I am sure a big amount was being paid by JIVE grant (may already have been paid). Wrightbus weren't making the hydrogen system, a company called Ballard systems had announced Wrightbus were buying from them. Jeff Wright (the pastor with a church) is grandson (not son) of the founder. But if you read just about any business failure book, it is often third generation that ruin a company. First found it, second generation see the hard graft and sacrifices and works hard to improve and expand it, then third generation just sponges of it, and employs people that do what they are asked regardless of how much it damages business. The founders son was still actively involved until he reached 90 few years ago. Had lots of skilled staff with years of experience, who had learnt from other long timers so had 60 years passed on knowledge of how to screw a bus together. Once these left / retired quality plummeted and customers went elsewhere. The new managers sounded like friends rather than people with any sense or ability to fix the declining quality.
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Post by capitalomnibus on Sept 29, 2019 16:52:45 GMT
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Post by ServerKing on Sept 29, 2019 18:48:35 GMT
It was reported in one article that a lot of buyers were demanding COD (Cash on Delivery) due to quality issues and lapsed lead times in the run up to the collapse. As the Hydrogen buses were more than likely prototypes Wrightbus was hoping to convince the rest of London with, I assume Metroline have not parted with any money, and if so, Deloitte can refund them somehow. Arriva could either keep the KL52*** DLA's and ex Leicester Lowlanders going until getting some E400 MMC's in. In places renowned for thrash such as Yorkshire and Kent, I was surprised at the choice of a StreetDeck which is the polar opposite of performance for NSL roads (I think most Streetdecks struggle to reach 50) Regarding the hydrogen buses, I am sure a big amount was being paid by JIVE grant (may already have been paid). Wrightbus weren't making the hydrogen system, a company called Ballard systems had announced Wrightbus were buying from them. Jeff Wright (the pastor with a church) is grandson (not son) of the founder. But if you read just about any business failure book, it is often third generation that ruin a company. First found it, second generation see the hard graft and sacrifices and works hard to improve and expand it, then third generation just sponges of it, and employs people that do what they are asked regardless of how much it damages business. The founders son was still actively involved until he reached 90 few years ago. Had lots of skilled staff with years of experience, who had learnt from other long timers so had 60 years passed on knowledge of how to screw a bus together. Once these left / retired quality plummeted and customers went elsewhere. The new managers sounded like friends rather than people with any sense or ability to fix the declining quality. Perhaps one of Jeff's mates will take a look at HW100's engine after taking religious robes off and changing into overalls Sure that explains no real viable competitor to the E200 in that the Streetlite never changed appearance for years. They will be worth even less now in resale, though I hope most are leased. The lot from the 192 go back in about a month, unless GAL will use them elsewhere? I think another thread covers the fate of the LT's
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Post by ThinLizzy on Sept 29, 2019 23:37:03 GMT
Not sure if this has been mentioned on here, but reading on other forums (RailUK and a north west bus forum) First rejected a batch of Streetdecks, which are now with Diamond Bus North West.
Similarly, Dublin Bus have been having issues with the doors not closing properly on their more recent batches of B5TLs
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Post by allentc on Sept 30, 2019 13:44:16 GMT
Not sure if this has been mentioned on here, but reading on other forums (RailUK and a north west bus forum) First rejected a batch of Streetdecks, which are now with Diamond Bus North West. Similarly, Dublin Bus have been having issues with the doors not closing properly on their more recent batches of B5TLs Apparently there are suffering from sagging ceilings. How could they allow build quality to fall to such a level especially from such a high as the Gemini 1? Not even East Lancs and their iffy build quality had sagging ceilings and doors that didn't fit...although they did have their fair share of other build quality problems elsewhere!
Perhaps Wrightbus placed too much emphasis on weight reduction at the detriment of build quality and reliability - an engineering mix that ADL seem to have got spot on with the MMC series.
The more I read into the whole Green Pastures debacle, warranty/build quality issues and the £1m yearly rental charge for the land the less likely I see any hope of anyone wanting to take the company as a whole - far too messy a situation to get embroiled in. That said, Optare and Transbus were rescued so there might be a chance - fingers crossed!
In April, Wrightbus purchased 40,000+ shares for £1m from - it is believed - Lorraine Rock (Sir William's daughter) and MD. So much for the firm being short of cash....
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Post by busaholic on Sept 30, 2019 14:13:49 GMT
Anyone remember de Lorean? I suspect the Wrightbus story/tragedy will resonate for as long, probably longer. The name Paisley will be coming more and more into it as detail gets discovered, I suspect, and I'm not talking moquette pattern! DUP will be ever-present, and the name of Johnson B. will be more than a bit part.
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Post by John tuthill on Oct 1, 2019 12:36:21 GMT
Not sure if this has been mentioned on here, but reading on other forums (RailUK and a north west bus forum) First rejected a batch of Streetdecks, which are now with Diamond Bus North West. Similarly, Dublin Bus have been having issues with the doors not closing properly on their more recent batches of B5TLs Apparently there are suffering from sagging ceilings. How could they allow build quality to fall to such a level especially from such a high as the Gemini 1? Not even East Lancs and their iffy build quality had sagging ceilings and doors that didn't fit...although they did have their fair share of other build quality problems elsewhere! Perhaps Wrightbus placed too much emphasis on weight reduction at the detriment of build quality and reliability - an engineering mix that ADL seem to have got spot on with the MMC series.
The more I read into the whole Green Pastures debacle, warranty/build quality issues and the £1m yearly rental charge for the land the less likely I see any hope of anyone wanting to take the company as a whole - far too messy a situation to get embroiled in. That said, Optare and Transbus were rescued so there might be a chance - fingers crossed! In April, Wrightbus purchased 40,000+ shares for £1m from - it is believed - Lorraine Rock (Sir William's daughter) and MD. So much for the firm being short of cash....
So sorry in fact, she could pay their wages-or not
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Post by snowman on Oct 2, 2019 5:33:24 GMT
Ian Paisley (DUP MP) is reporting there are still 2 companies looking to buy Wrightbus
Also claiming a part of the Governments £220m bus improvement grant is allocated to the Northern Ireland bus builder (sounds more like a political fix to me, but with their recent financial revelations, rulebook seems to be different when DUP involved)
Meanwhile Companies House shows their 2018 accounts as overdue
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Post by snowman on Oct 3, 2019 5:00:44 GMT
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Post by SILENCED on Oct 3, 2019 7:17:54 GMT
There are a good few photos from same account uploaded 1 Oct, some of which are definitely older ... so ...
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Post by riverside on Oct 3, 2019 16:28:28 GMT
Ian Paisley (DUP MP) is reporting there are still 2 companies looking to buy Wrightbus Also claiming a part of the Governments £220m bus improvement grant is allocated to the Northern Ireland bus builder (sounds more like a political fix to me, but with their recent financial revelations, rulebook seems to be different when DUP involved) Meanwhile Companies House shows their 2018 accounts as overdue On Last night's BBC Newsline programme it was reported that Unite, the union, had held a meeting with the Wrightbus workers claiming that there were still 4 parties interested in the business. 2 from Great Britain, 1 from China and 1 from the EU. Not sure how the union would be privy to such information but hopefully they would not be wanting to give false hope to their members. It would be nice to think that there still is out there a buyer, but only time will tell.
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Post by COBO on Oct 3, 2019 16:31:25 GMT
So is Wrightbus completly finished or is it still continuing?
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Post by londonbusboy on Oct 3, 2019 16:35:08 GMT
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