HAYWARD, Calif., Nov. 15,
2017 /PRNewswire/ -- (TSX: NFI) Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a
U.S. subsidiary of New Flyer Industries Inc. ("NFI Group"), the
largest transit bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts
distributor in North America,
builds safe, reliable and easy-to-diagnose motor coaches, each
supported with industry-leading maintenance and repairs at its
growing network of company-owned, factory-run sales and Service
Centers across North America.
Today, MCI's new San Francisco Bay Area Sales and Service Center
will open the largest OEM facility in Northern California with unparalleled parts,
service and training expertise to the growing number of public and
private operators up and down the Pacific Coast.
With hundreds of coach operators, local officials and other
guests on hand, MCI cut the ribbon on this new four-acre facility,
creating 30 new jobs and investing nearly US $3 million in what is becoming one of the busiest
motor coach corridors in the country.
With more than 1,200 motor coaches in operation by public and
private operators, the MCI name is on more than half of them. The
two-story, 34,000-square-foot Hayward complex at 4120 Point Eden Way is
MCI's second in California and
seventh in North America.
Featuring the latest diagnostic equipment, nine service bays, a
state-of-the-art parts inventory system, paint booth and OEM
trained technicians, this new facility will provide comprehensive
service for MCI, Setra, and other major motor coach brands. From
preventative maintenance and warranty work to complete coach
refurbishing and retrofits, MCI Hayward "sets the standard for
upgrades and new facilities we'll be introducing throughout
North America in the coming
years," says Ian Smart, MCI
President.
Other services available at the new Hayward Center include
required California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and CHP
(California Highway Patrol)
inspections, oil sample analysis and bus wash and lavatory services
coming soon. MCI has located over $400,000 parts inventory at the site, with close
to 2,400 individual part numbers (SKUs) for MCI, Setra and
other-make coaches at competitive prices, all available for
expedited shipping and for immediate pickup.
"We're an OEM service center and that's a huge advantage to
coach operators here," said Mike
Albertolle, MCI Hayward Manager of Business Development and
Service. "Our higher standards mean operators can trust we will
provide quick access to parts and maintenance and repair work – all
at MCI OEM quality. We will make sure their equipment is operating
safely and reliably with optimized, long-life performance."
Best-trained technicians in the industry
MCI designed and organized the new location to meet 5S factory
standards, incorporating safety and ergonomics into each task. The
MCI Hayward facility also demonstrates Quality at the Source
workmanship to meet MCI's strict fixed-right-the-first-time
requirements. The facility's technicians – all local to nearby
areas - completed nearly a month of award-winning MCI Academy
training.
MCI Academy's reputation is growing. It is the first training
operation in the motor coach industry to receive accreditation for
its live and online technical coursework by the National Institute
for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).
At a time when skilled, continually trained mechanics are
watching their job opportunities rise, the city of Hayward knows how much employers like MCI can
mean to their community.
"We welcome MCI to Hayward and
are tremendously excited about the contributions MCI will be making
to our local and regional economy for years to come," said
Hayward Mayor Barbara Halliday. "MCI is bringing dozens of
highly skilled jobs to our community, and will be playing a vital
economic role supplying and servicing the vehicles on which Bay
Area employers and our tourism industry rely."
Coming attractions - from clean diesel to electric
The day's event also previewed MCI's newest and most advanced
motor coaches, including:
- MCI J4500, the industry's best seller, now redesigned for model
year 2018 with extra space for best-in-class legroom and
comfort;
- MCI J3500, MCI's new 35-foot coach currently in development and
testing;
- MCI D45 CRT LE, the groundbreaking new D Series coach that sets
a new standard in passenger accessibility; and coming soon in
all-electric;
- New Flyer's battery-electric heavy-duty transit bus, the
Xcelsior® CHARGE leading the North American zero emissions public
transportation marketplace.
"As coach and public transit transportation expands in
Northern California, MCI is closer
to our customers, bringing the best in service support for models
designed for the future," said Patrick
Scully, MCI Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
"Our innovations in safety and accessibility to new choices in
propulsion systems help to advance the goals of many of our
customers here. It's a very proud day for MCI and we thank
all our customers, suppliers and guests for marking another MCI
milestone."
The San Francisco Bay Area
location in Hayward joins other
MCI Sales and Service Centers in Los
Alamitos, CA, Dallas, TX,
Winter Garden, FL, Blackwood, NJ, Des
Plaines, IL and Montreal,
Canada. Each location is equipped to handle collision
repairs, refurbishing, paint, and body work, retrofits with OEM
wheelchair lifts and engine overhauls.
About NFI Group
NFI Group is the largest transit bus and motor coach
manufacturer and parts distributor in North America, with 31 fabrication,
manufacturing, distribution, and service centers across
Canada and the U.S. employing over
5,800 team members.
It is North America's
heavy-duty transit bus leader and offers the largest transit bus
product line under the brand Xcelsior®, incorporating the broadest
range of drive systems available, including: clean diesel, natural
gas, diesel-electric hybrid, trolley-electric, and
battery-electric. NFI Group actively supports over 44,000
heavy-duty transit buses (New Flyer, NABI, and Orion) currently in
service, of which 6,400 are powered by electric and battery
propulsion.
NFI Group is also North
America's motor coach market leader offering the Motor Coach
Industries Inc. (MCI) J-Series, the industry's best-selling
intercity coach for 11 consecutive years, and the MCI D-Series, the
industry's best-selling motor coach line in North American history.
MCI is also the exclusive distributor of Daimler's Setra S 417 and
S 407 motor coaches in the United
States and Canada. MCI
actively supports over 28,000 coaches currently in service.
NFI Group also operates North
America's most comprehensive parts organization, NFI Parts™,
providing parts, technical publications, training, and support for
its OEM product lines (transit buses and motor coaches). All buses
and coaches are also supported by an industry-leading comprehensive
warranty, service, and support network.
Further information is available on NFI Group websites at
www.newflyer.com and www.mcicoach.com. The common shares of the NFI
Group are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol
NFI.
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SOURCE Motor Coach Industries