There has been much discussion on the Bus Manufacturer's thread about ADL, and the impact of a possible strike, but where is ADL heading? It's core business is the manufacture of buses and coaches, but the coach side of things has been paused, and it is finding strong opposition for its buses, particularly from China which can produce large volumes at lower prices.
I can't see the coach business resuming. The market leaders are Mercedes and Yutong, and even Wrights are entering the market. Volvo chassis can be bodied by MCV, Scania's by Higer, and both by Caetano, so is there room for another body producer? Would ADL consider building their own integral coach, maybe an electric one?
The bus side of things has seen new products recently, and the ADL 100EV seems to be finding some buyers, and I can't think of any close competitors. The ADL 200 and 400EVs have competition from Wrights, Yutong and BYD, and these competitors seem to be picking up more orders than ADL. The diesel models also face competition from Wrights and Volvo/MCV. Volvo/MCV seem to have the 3-axle double decker market sewn up. Also, the tie up between Stagecoach and ADL via Brian Souter generated many orders, but this has now declined.
The only obvious gaps in the market are the luxury double decker bus (useful for school trips etc), which ADL is successful in picking up the odd one or two, and the open-top market which I think only Wrights provide for.
So ADL seems to be struggling on many fronts. Are ADL products intrinsically bad, and therefore difficult to attract sales? Are their prices too high (even when compared with Wrights), and can they ever be lowered to compete with Chinese products? Are there any unique selling points making ADL products attractive?
What can ADL do if it is not to fold? It needs to increase sales and market share, so does it need to reduce prices and hope the increase in sales volumes cover their R&D and fixed costs? Does it need to off-shore some production, with the loss of jobs, directly and indirectly, in the UK? Does it need to find new export markets?
What can it do to increase its market share?
I can't see the coach business resuming. The market leaders are Mercedes and Yutong, and even Wrights are entering the market. Volvo chassis can be bodied by MCV, Scania's by Higer, and both by Caetano, so is there room for another body producer? Would ADL consider building their own integral coach, maybe an electric one?
The bus side of things has seen new products recently, and the ADL 100EV seems to be finding some buyers, and I can't think of any close competitors. The ADL 200 and 400EVs have competition from Wrights, Yutong and BYD, and these competitors seem to be picking up more orders than ADL. The diesel models also face competition from Wrights and Volvo/MCV. Volvo/MCV seem to have the 3-axle double decker market sewn up. Also, the tie up between Stagecoach and ADL via Brian Souter generated many orders, but this has now declined.
The only obvious gaps in the market are the luxury double decker bus (useful for school trips etc), which ADL is successful in picking up the odd one or two, and the open-top market which I think only Wrights provide for.
So ADL seems to be struggling on many fronts. Are ADL products intrinsically bad, and therefore difficult to attract sales? Are their prices too high (even when compared with Wrights), and can they ever be lowered to compete with Chinese products? Are there any unique selling points making ADL products attractive?
What can ADL do if it is not to fold? It needs to increase sales and market share, so does it need to reduce prices and hope the increase in sales volumes cover their R&D and fixed costs? Does it need to off-shore some production, with the loss of jobs, directly and indirectly, in the UK? Does it need to find new export markets?
What can it do to increase its market share?