Dennis Eagle

Dennis Eagle Limited is an English bin lorry manufacturer owned by Terberg Environmental.

Overview

Before operations were merged with Terberg Environmental, Dennis Eagle employed a workforce of over 600 across its two manufacturing sites and service network, which included nine depots as well as mobile engineers based throughout the UK. Body and chassis assembly took place at the Warwick headquarters, with cabs built at the additional manufacturing facility in Blackpool. Producing over 1,000 refuse collection vehicles each year, the company also had an international network of distributors.

In addition to domestic success, Dennis Eagle vehicles are now used globally, with their refuse collection trucks being sold in markets such as Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Asia, reflecting their growing international presence.

History

The formation of Dennis Eagle

Dennis Brothers had made specialised vehicles for municipal authorities from the early 1920s though they were primarily builders of chassis for buses, fire engines and haulage lorries.

Eagle Engineering Company, agricultural and general engineers of Warwick, was incorporated in 1907. It made oil and petrol internal combustion stationary engines and some small agricultural equipment and provided municipalities with refuse vehicles and road sweepers and tower lorries at relatively inexpensive prices sometimes built on Dennis chassis. Soon after the start of the Great Depression Eagle turned from engines to building road trailers and semi-trailers for articulated vehicles. They also added an electrical and wireless department and produced Chakophone wireless sets until 1936. Ownership changed a number of times during the 1960s.

What would become Dennis Eagle began to form back in the autumn of 1971 when Hestair Group bought Yorkshire Vehicles Limited in Leeds and Eagle Engineering Co in Warwick. Six months later, Hestair bought Dennis Motor Holdings and thereafter managed the businesses as the Vehicle Division of Hestair Engineering. Municipal bodies were made in Warwick by Hestair Eagle (incorporating Yorkshire Vehicles). Municipal chassis were made by Dennis in Guildford. The vehicle cabs were made in Blackpool on the old Dennis coach building site.

Hestair set up a special Environmental Vehicles Division for its waste management activities. In 1985 Hestair moved municipal chassis manufacture from the Dennis plant at Guildford to a new 125,000 square foot plant on the newly built Heathcote Industrial Estate at Warwick. They were joined there by Hestair Eagle's municipal bodies operations which moved across Warwick from Saltisford. The new Dennis Eagle plant was the largest refuse vehicle manufacturing site in Europe.

Expansion and split from Dennis Group

In 1991, with Dennis Eagles environmental vehicles now representing around one-third of Hestair's Vehicle Division. Following a management buyout in 1990, Shelvoke & Drewry assets where purchased by Dennis Eagle and they subsequently shut down after honoring their remaining order book.

Following ever increasing changes to Dennis Eagles parent company (from Hestair Group, to Trinity Holdings, to Dennis Group, to Mayflower Corporation) Dennis Eagle was sold in July 1999 to NatWest Equity Partners after 90 years alongside the other branches of the Dennis Group. The sale included the Blackpool cab production plant, which would still provide cabs for Dennis Fire vehicles built at Guildford until their quiet demise in 2007. The new influx of cash from the sale allowed for greater engineering towards the new Phoenix 2 body, which landed in 2001 with major success.

In January 2004, Dennis Eagle was purchased by ABN Amro.

Merger with Ros Roca and the Royal Terberg Group

In 2007, Dennis Eagle was purchased by Ros Roca. The acquisition was driven by Ros Roca's desire for Dennis Eagle's Phoenix 2 body, and once the sale was confirmed they worked with Dennis Eagle to design and introduce the Olympus body. This replaced both companies body product lineup, and Ros Roca subsequently took over engineering control. This left Dennis Eagle primarily as a chassis design team, with a small team of body engineers to contribute UK market demands.

Ros Roca and Terberg Environmental then merged in 2016, forming the Terberg RosRoca Group, with Terberg holding the controlling interest. The various companies within the new group retained their trading names but replaced their logos and payoff with Terbergs.

In 2019, Dennis Eagle introduced the eCollect, an all-electric refuse collection vehicle, aimed at reducing emissions and supporting sustainable waste management practices. The eCollect has since been adopted by multiple local authorities in the UK, making Dennis Eagle a leader in environmentally friendly waste solutions.

In 2021, Dennis Eagle entered the North American market as "Dennis Eagle US" with their new ProView chassis being built at a new facility in Summerville, South Carolina.

In 2024, Dennis Eagle sold a record breaking 151 new Elite+ vehicles to Birmingham City Council. These new vehicles aim to replace the councils outdated vehicles that are beyond their operational lifespan.

Dennis Eagle (Europe)

Headquartered in Warwick, UK, this production and engineering site distribute chassis and bodies to the mainly to the UK and Europe.

Dennis Eagle Inc (North America)

Dennis Eagle Inc, also known as Dennis Eagle US, began production of the ProView chassis at a new facility in Summerville, South Carolina in 2021. The plant manufactures ProView chassis for dealerships and distributors in the USA and Canada.

Dennis Eagle Australia

Dennis Eagle produces chassis for the Australian market at its headquarters in Warwick, England. These are shipped to Australia are distributed by boat and sold by Penske Australia & New Zealand.

References

External links

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{{Automotive industry in the United Kingdom, state=autocollapse

Companies based in Warwick
E
Motor vehicle manufacturers of England
Truck manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1907
Waste collection vehicles
1907 establishments in England