Synopsis
Travel anywhere in the United Kingdom by public transport today and the chances are high that at some stage you will use the products of a factory in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. That modern, hi-tech factory is at Galgorm and is the home of The Wright Group of companies, but known to most in the industry simply as Wrights of Ballymena. Jack Kernohan joined Wrights in 1955, just nine years after the business had been started by local man Bob Wright, and stayed there until his retirement from the post of Sales Director in 2005. This book isn't a history, it's Jack's reminiscences of the development of what is today a major player in the United Kingdom bus market. He takes us though the early years, when vans and mobile shops were the staple, to building trucks and trailers and, eventually, on to the high quality buses with which the company has become synonymous. The success of the company is founded on its people, most of them local to the Ballymena area, but Jack pays tribute in this work to one man in particular who, like his father, had the vision to see where the industry needed to go and was prepared to put his money into developing new products. That man was William Wright.In the pages of this book, Jack takes us through the development of the Wright product range, introduces us to some of the industry's personalities and lightens the story with some amusing tales. As well as the UK market, we also get an insight into export orders such as the Bedfords built for Africa, the Wright Bus for Kowloon Motor Bus in Hong Kong and the stunning StreetCar RTV for Southern Nevada RTC. Jack rounds off with a look a some of the products built since his retirement. Of course, he hasn't forgotten those who made it all happen and we meet some of the staff who've helped make the company the success it is today.
About the Author
Jack Kernohan was born in 1937 on a farm on the outskirts of Ballymena, approximately two miles from where The Wright Group is based today. He's the oldest in a family of six - four boys and two girls. He attended the Fourtowns Primary School, in the local village of Ahoghill, before completing his education at Ballymena Technical College. Jack's father was a carpenter and he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps so he began an apprenticeship with McLaughlin and Harvey, then one of the largest engineering and building contractors in Northern Ireland, in 1951. He was attracted to coachbuilding and joined Robert Wright and Son Limited, as the company was then known, in 1955 and accepted every opportunity to aid his progression through the company. Appointed Workshop Foreman in 1961, Jack became Production Manager two years later. This latter position was a challenging role in that he was entirely responsible for the operations of the company during a period when many technological changes were taking place within the industry. By 1967, the company needed to provide an after sales service support for its range of products and Jack saw this as a major opportunity. Supporting the customer in their time of need would ensure that the company sales team had a better chance of securing that customer's next order. In February 1970 Jack was appointed Sales Manager, initially for Ireland; this territory was increased to also cover all of the United Kingdom. He was promoted to Sales Director in 1988, a position he held up until his retirement on 31 August 2005. During his long service with the company, Jack made numerous friends. Many, like him, have since retired but they all still retain an interest in the latest range of products which the company now builds.
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