Sirus celebrates its first decade in business

The company at Britannia Park, Wednesbury, was established in 2004 by long-term friends Simon Pearson and Russell Venvil.

It has grown to become the UK's market leader in compact, drive-from-wheelchair and wheelchair passenger up-front vehicle solutions.

The skilled team of engineers convert standard production cars such as the Fiat Qubo and Volkswagen Caddy so that wheelchair users are able to travel either as a passenger or driver.

The company has a committed apprenticeship scheme and currently supports a 54-strong workforce responsible for engineering, research and development, sales, customer service and administration.

Sirus has seen significant growth since inception, reaching £9 million turnover by 2013 with a 43 per cent increase year-on-year.

It has relocated and expanded several times during this period and now operates a workshop, office complex and fibreglass shop totalling 35,000 sq ft.

Sirus now distributes across the UK and Europe and has been supported by Volkswagen Germany at the Rehacare exhibition in Düsseldorf.

Mr Pearson regards his staff as the key to this growth. "Sirus is truly customer centric and I firmly believe our success over the last decade is testament to this ethos. I would like to thank every member of the Sirus team for their consistent commitment to customer care, engineering excellence and delivering on promises – without this level of dedication our achievements since 1994 would never have been possible.

"Russell and I established Sirus to design and manufacture innovative, high quality accessible vehicles that were supported by exceptional after sales care and three year warranties. Our strategic partnership was born through a shared passion for automotive design and having the exact same vision – to provide driving independence with peace of mind for wheelchair users.

"Despite similar backgrounds, our skill sets were quite varied so commercially we were able to leverage each other to produce a synergy of results. With Russell's degree in transport design from Coventry University and my R&D engineering experience, we utilised our knowledge to identify a niche in the market. In 2004 there were solutions that enabled wheelchair users to drive, nevertheless none of them were particularly user friendly. They were built on large van based vehicles and lengthy production processes meant purchase prices were high. Back up service for customers was also lacking – we would change all of this with the birth of Sirus," said Mr Pearson.

The company's award-winning solutions provide wheelchair users both freedom and independence, whether driving or travelling up front as a passenger.

"Delivering maximum flexibility and choice has always been a key focus for us and will never falter. Sirus is unique in the fact that its product design offers exceptional quality and conversions with flawless 'from factory' finish. Our products are backed up by excellent after sales service, and we have a team of specialist engineers should our customers ever require assistance," added Mr Peatrson.

In 2006, following customer feedback, Sirus launched the Renault Kangoo 'Passenger up Front' solution. The business had identified a unique need in the vehicle sector – the 'Passenger Up-Front' WAV. It was designed to allow the wheelchair user to travel in the front of a car next to the driver, without the need to transfer onto a standard car seat – a much more sociable and less isolated way of travelling with far less hassle.

This up front position also commonly eliminated travel sickness and visibility issues for many wheelchair users when travelling in the rear of cars. In 2008 Sirus replaced this Renault model with the Volkswagen Caddy as it catered for slightly larger wheelchairs and taller occupants.

The following year Sirus launched the revolutionary and versatile Fiat Qubo Switch that enabled the disabled occupant to swop between up front passenger and driver. Sirus says it remains the most affordable vehicle of its kind on the market, opening up independence to many disabled people who previously could not have afforded such a vehicle.

Sirus then progressed on to launch an internal transfer vehicle, for wheelchair users with more ability, followed by the industry's lowest priced up front passenger vehicle. This year, Sirus has introduced the Volkswagen Caddy Life – a family vehicle with the innovative 'Flexi-ramp' system. This solution provide total flexibility as the internal configuration of the car can be quickly altered between a standard five-seater arrangement with boot space, to an accessible vehicle for transporting a wheelchair user. Throughout all these dynamic vehicle developments, Sirus has also offered a vehicle adaptations service, providing a full range of driving modifications through to boot hoists, wheelchair storage and seating solutions.

To celebrate a decade in business, Sirus is offering a unique promotion to all new customers. This added value deal includes a complimentary £300 fuel card and £500 towards the first year of comprehensive insurance (for private customers) and an annual subscription to DMUK magazine.