UK bus manufacturer Mellor has revealed plans for a new Scarborough-based production division as part of its exciting ambitions to reposition the business from 2022. Mellor (Scarborough) will support the company’s existing Mellor manufacturing base in Rochdale while boosting capacity and adding significant technological capability.
With planning permission underway, Mellor (Scarborough) will form an integral element of the wider relocation of Promech Technologies – both companies are part of the Woodall Nicholson group of UK manufacturing brands – and its move to a new, 54,000 sq. ft. purpose-built manufacturing, R&D, and office development. Completion of the new purpose-built facility in Scarborough is expected in Q3 of 2022.
Some 50 highly skilled and experienced employees will relocate from Promech’s existing location nearby, with the expectation of creating a further 30-50 new employment opportunities. Partnerships with local schools and colleges to promote STEM learning among young people will create a centre-of-excellence for future talent within the business.
Mellor (Scarborough) will boast state-of-the-art equipment to facilitate design engineering, chassis conversions, and homologation. Mellor has also announced it will upgrade its design software to the latest 3DEXPERIENCE platform from global technology provider, Dassault Systèmes. The upgrade will significantly boost Mellor’s design capability, placing it at the forefront of vehicle and drivetrain innovation, and enabling Mellor to further develop its size- and cost-appropriate product offering.
Mellor’s low-floor Orion E23 electric bus. Image courtesy of Mellor.
“This is one of the most important investments that Mellor has ever made,” says Mellor’s Bus Division Managing Director, Mark Clissett, “one which underlines our commitment to UK customers and one which reflects our longer-term ambitions for repositioning the business from 2022. The combination of the new 3DEXPERIENCE software and our highly skilled workforce presents a formidable proposition with limitless possibilities to develop exciting new products and to enhance considerably our chassis conversion capability.
“With the bus industry’s shift to zero-emissions gathering momentum, the new site will also accommodate Promech Technologies which will play an increasingly influential role in Mellor’s future model introductions. John Randerson, Chief Technology Officer at Promech Technologies, says, “Promech is already instrumental in the development of technologies for all Woodall Nicholson vehicle brands. The new Scarborough facilities will create an even greater symbiosis between Mellor as a UK brand and Promech as its technology provider, particularly regarding electric and hydrogen fuel cell drivetrains, and the integration of the two technologies.”
Mark Clissett adds, “We’re excited at the possibilities this new site will offer not only to our customers but to the local area, with employment opportunities and ongoing engagement with local schools and colleges to develop STEM learning as a basis for a career in the burgeoning zero-emissions bus industry.”