O&H Vehicle Conversions has spent more than 37 years building ambulances and other emergency vehicles
O&H Vehicle Conversions has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators(Image: O&H Vehicle Conversions)
Administrators are poised to be appointed at an East Yorkshire emergency vehicle manufacturer which had been seeking a rescue deal. O&H Vehicle Conversions, based in Goole, has spent more than 37 years building ambulances and other emergency vehicles from its 64,000 sqft factory.
The company filed a notice of intention to file for administration at the start of the month. The firm employs 164 people, though a recent social media post by a director implied there have been job losses.
Calls to the company lead to a recorded message saying all the admin team is currently busy, and its website was suspended on Monday afternoon. Earlier in the month, CEO Mark Brickhill had issued a statement stressing that the manufacturer – one of the biggest of its kind in the UK – was continuing to trade while it mulled its options with business advisors.
He said significantly delayed chassis deliveries for conversion to DCAs (double crewed ambulances) “has hit our income and cashflow to a point that is no longer sustainable. Since November 2025, £2.2m in planned and achievable sales have been delayed.”
The statement continued: “Given this delay, our customers and suppliers know that we pivoted the entire business to primarily Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV) production for both the Ambulance and Police Services delivering innovative and high-quality emergency vehicles. I thank them sincerely for their support with this. However, the resulting lost production and cost of re-training, together with the lower cash margins, failed to fully bridge the financial gap caused by the DCA chassis delay despite our very best efforts.
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“OHVC has been financially supported by shareholders for many years with their support totalling over £25m in a very challenging industry where British SMEs are working hard, alongside UK based suppliers, to design and manufacture the excellent, innovative products demanded by our emergency services customers. Unfortunately, successive governments have only increased budget pressures, and we have seen continual price driven margin erosion and multiple British vehicle conversion manufacturers forced into administration.”
A director has now posted a heartfelt message on Linkedin, which says: “It’s a difficult day, saying goodbye to so many talented and dedicated colleagues at O&H. People who showed up every day with pride, resilience, and a genuine commitment to doing things the right way. Watching a team like that be broken apart is heart breaking.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved together, and I’m grateful for the friendships, the support, and the professionalism you all brought to work every single day. To everyone affected, I wish you nothing but success in finding your next role and hope our paths cross again. If anyone reading this can help my colleagues into their next opportunity, please do reach out to them.”
Most recent accounts for the business, covering the year ended February 2024, show it then employed 181 people and was turning over £22.1m. The accounts detail how the business went through a major restructure that year “to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operations” which led to the consolidation of its two sites, in Brighouse and Goole, into its fully-owned premises in Goole to bring down its overheads.
A restructuring of the senior management team was also carried out, to ensure “those most critical to the ongoing success of the business are sufficiently rewarded and motivated”.
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