VCS invests £5 million in UK’s largest ambulance and police vehicle factory

VCS, the UK’s leading manufacturer of emergency services vehicles, is investing over £5 million in a new manufacturing facility for ambulances, police, and specialist vehicle conversions in Bradford this April. According to the company, the new factory will ensure the UK’s supply of world-class emergency vehicles by creating the country’s largest dedicated manufacturing facility and trebling VCS’s current production capacity to nearly 1500 vehicles annually. And with ambulance and police vehicles a strong source of premium fleet tyre sales, there are obvious positive implications for the tyre business.

The Bradford-based company, which started with five staff members in 2009, will have the capacity to grow its workforce to more than 150 owing to the new facility. Meanwhile, a dedicated training academy within the new site means that the company can recruit more local people without emergency services sector experience, providing a further boost to the local community.

Mark Kerrigan, managing director of VCS, said: “This is an extremely exciting milestone in VCS’s history, demonstrating our continued position as market leaders in the emergency services sector. The company continues to exceed expectations not only what VCS can do as a business but our ability to deliver high-quality, low-emissions, advanced emergency vehicles.”

VCS reports that its new facility will “help future-proof the UK’s emergency services fleet, with a new dedicated R&D facility that doubles its engineering capability”. The idea is to build upon the company’s reputation for creating the lightest vehicle conversions available – in turn aiding fuel efficiency and reducing emissions.

This investment follows a period of growth for VCS, which posted a 30 per cent increase in turnover over two years. The company currently sits in first place on the NHS framework for ambulance convertors, while it also plans to target new international markets in the coming years.