WINNIPEG,
April 12, 2013 /CNW/ - (TSX:NFI;
TSX:NFI.DB.U) New Flyer Industries Inc. ("New Flyer" or the
"Company"), the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in
the United States and Canada, is pleased to announce that it has
been selected as the winner of the 2013 Manufacturing Leadership
100 Award ("ML100 Award") in the category of Operational
Excellence.
The ML100 Awards, now in their ninth year,
annually honor 100 world-class manufacturing companies and
individual leaders that are shaping the future of global
manufacturing. Nominations across 11 categories are vetted and
evaluated by a panel of expert judges. Four of the categories
recognize the achievements of individual manufacturing executives
and seven of the ML100 categories are for outstanding projects
undertaken and completed by a manufacturing company, which is the
category that New Flyer's "Operational Excellence" program falls
into. For descriptions of the ML100 categories and award recipients
in each category, please go to http://www.ml100awards.com/.
The Operational Excellence Award recipients have
undertaken projects that transform production processes and systems
with an eye toward reducing costs and enhancing agility. Winning
projects, for example, will have used continuous improvement
principles such as lean manufacturing to streamline operations, or
introduced new plant systems that enhance overall equipment
effectiveness and enable traceability. Some of the past
winners of this award in the Operational Excellence category
include companies such as: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Boston
Scientific, Ford Motor Co., IBM and many others.
"It is a privilege to be awarded such an honor
in the Operational Excellence category and especially alongside
some impressive companies," said Paul
Soubry, New Flyer President and Chief Executive Officer.
"It's really a testament to all the hard work and dedication that
our employees put into our Operational Excellence journey every day
that has us where we are today."
New Flyer's Operational Excellence (OpEx)
journey was initiated in the fall of 2008 with investments in
operations and change management for sustainable processes. Its
vision is to provide and maintain a safe, clean and efficient
working environment for all employees while ensuring that it is the
most efficient producer through first-time quality and defined
processes and procedures. New Flyer's OpEx initiative has
maintained a strong internal focus from the day its journey began,
with many lean manufacturing and 5S initiatives having been
ingrained into its processes today. They are continuously looking
at its processes and procedures to find ways that it can improve
which translates into customer benefits, with a better quality
product and improved communication.
New Flyer will be honored with its ML100 Award
at the Manufacturing Leadership Summit May
14 and 15 in Palm Beach,
FL.
About New Flyer
New Flyer is the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses
in the United States and
Canada. The Company's three
manufacturing facilities - in St. Cloud,
MN; Crookston, MN; and
Winnipeg, MB - are all ISO 9001,
ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certified. The Company currently
operates a parts fabrication facility in Elkhart, IN and four parts distribution
centers in Erlanger, KY;
Fresno, CA; Winnipeg, MB and Brampton, ON. The Company also operates a
service center in Arnprior,
ON.
With a skilled workforce of over 2,200
employees, New Flyer is a technology leader, offering the broadest
product line in the industry, including drive systems powered by
clean diesel, LNG, CNG and electric trolley as well as
energy-efficient diesel-electric hybrid vehicles. New Flyer
has delivered over 32,000 heavy-duty buses in the United States and Canada. All products are supported with
an industry-leading, comprehensive parts and service
network. Further, information is available on New Flyer's web
site at www.newflyer.com.
The common shares and convertible unsecured
subordinated debentures of New Flyer are traded on the Toronto
Stock Exchange under the symbols NFI and NFI.DB.U,
respectively.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating
to expected future events and financial and operating results of
the Company that involve risks and uncertainties. Although the
forward-looking statements contained in this press release are
based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions,
investors cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent
with these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be
material. Actual results may differ materially from management
expectations as projected in such forward-looking statements for a
variety of reasons, including the risks and uncertainties discussed
in the materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory
authorities and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Due to
the potential impact of these factors, the Company disclaims any
intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.
SOURCE New Flyer Industries Inc.