Glasgow taxi and minibus converter Allied Vehicles to take on 70 workers and boost production

A Glasgow company that makes wheelchair accessible cars, minibuses and taxis is to take on more than 70 people under ambitious plans to ramp up production as it looks to overcome “horrendous” supply issues.

Allied Vehicles, which was established almost 30 years ago in the city’s Possilpark area, is looking to produce more than 7,500 vehicles per year and take on workers as it prepares to make inroads into the European market. The firm said the additional staff would work in its pre-production and production areas after two years of a “post-Covid famine”, exacerbated by global vehicle supply problems and the conflict in Ukraine. Allied Vehicles converts a variety of vehicles to make them suitable for wheelchair users, both passengers and drivers.

Operations director George McAdam described recent supply problems as “horrendous”. He said: “We have seen times where we had no cars whatsoever to build and we’ve also seen times where we were maximising the people we have and actually going out and recruiting. The fact is that Allied and the Facenna family have supported and retained all of the people that we had, knowing that it’s paramount that we have those skill sets, that we look after the staff that have been very loyal to us over the years and we’ve managed to do that.”

He noted that during the slump, up to 100 staff who had no cars to work on had undertaken other project tasks, including painting and generally tidying up the Hawthorn Street site. “We are now seeing some light at the end of the tunnel,” added McAdam. “We’re now getting more positive vibes from our suppliers - Peugeot, Volkswagen, Ford and Citroen - and we’re now seeing vehicles starting to flow in. The plans we have put in place will bring an additional 78 people into the business, and what that does is it allows us over the next nine to 12 months to expand our market share.”

The ramp-up in production has also involved the creation of a revamped infrastructure at the business, including a new £400,000 laser to boost capacity. Processes have been streamlined, and workshop layouts altered to achieve the new targets. The firm has also invested “significantly” in training, with more in prospect for the new workers.

Peter Facenna, the company’s managing director, said expanding into the European market was a key priority for the business. “We've now successfully built a network of distribution partners across most European countries, and we're looking forward to increasing production here in Glasgow in order to meet the needs of disabled people - not only in the UK, but across Europe,” he added. “Most people will probably think we only make things here for Glasgow and Scotland, but we make them for all of the UK and, now, most of Western Europe.”

McAdam added: “It’s a large project plan with lots of moving pieces to get there, but we have it within our grasp now and our control to take it forward. I have no doubt there’ll be some other bumps along the road as we go through this [but] compared to where it was, the future’s looking absolutely amazing.”