New Flyer to adopt single heavy duty bus design by late 2015
by The Canadian Press
Winnipeg-based New Flyer will drop NABI designs, convert production at Alabama plant to Xcelsior platform
WINNIPEG—New Flyer Industries Inc. says it will adopt a single platform design for heavy-duty buses by the second half of 2015 in order to improve efficiency.
The Winnipeg-based company, which acquired North American Bus Industries, Inc. (NABI) a year ago, said it will phase out production of NABI’s LFW and BRT models and convert production at its NABI plant in Alabama to the Xcelsior platform.
New Flyer said it will deliver on previous order commitments and provide support for NABI LFW and BRT products as long as the buses are in service.
It expects to deal with the impact on its people through a combination of workforce redeployment, retirement and departures through attrition.
New Flyer said expects to invest about US$20 million to complete the heavy-duty bus transition and will “aggressively” promote the mid-sized MiDi low-floor buses that it produces in St. Cloud, Minn.
The company has about 3,000 employees at various locations in Canada and the United States.
