According to a press release from New Flyer, their ownership of NABI will come to an end once they complete all current orders: June 24, 2014
New Flyer to Focus on Xcelsior® as Single Heavy-Duty and BRT Transit Bus Platform
•New Flyer to rationalize to a common Xcelsior® platform for all heavy-duty and BRT transit buses
•Allows for enhanced New Flyer lifecycle service, parts and customer support programs
•Production of NABI LFW and BRT models to be phased out, with the Anniston, Alabama facility transitioning to Xcelsior in the second half of 2015
•Aggressively promoting MiDi®, New Flyer's medium-sized, low-floor bus, now in production in St Cloud, Minnesota
•Enables transition to common information technology infrastructure and provides opportunities for cost reduction and avoidance and sourcing synergies to enhance New Flyer's overall competitiveness
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – June 24, 2014: (TSX: NFI) (TSX: NFI.DB.U) New Flyer Industries Inc. ("New Flyer" or the "Company"), the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in Canada and the United States, announced today plans to focus on a single heavy-duty transit and BRT bus platform that features its world-class Xcelsior.
Xcelsior is the latest generation of New Flyer's low-floor vehicle platform that revolutionized North American transit in the early 1990s. Xcelsior comes with a variety of propulsion options including clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, electric-trolley, and now, zero emission battery-electric. Similar to New Flyer's previous bus models, Xcelsior is customized and configured to meet each customer's unique specifications. New Flyer plans to further enhance its BRT styling options for the Xcelsior platform by building on NABI's extensive BRT experience and New Flyer's customer input.
"New Flyer has made significant investments to make Xcelsior a world-class product. Our focus on a single heavy-duty bus platform enhances our ability to innovate, optimize our supply chain, improve product quality and enhance our competiveness," said Paul Soubry, New Flyer's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We will transition production at NABI in Anniston, AL from the LFW and BRT to Xcelsior, which enables us to avoid redundant product upgrade costs and duplicate support infrastructure and demonstrates our continued investment in New Flyer's future."
Through the transition, New Flyer expects to:
•Improve its competiveness in the U.S. and Canadian markets by leveraging its combined bus volume, production, and purchasing for greater efficiencies,
•Streamline design, sourcing, standardization, and overhead for better product control (such as eliminating redundancy and future costs in designing products, including refreshing bus and propulsion platforms, testing and engineering), and
•Make product enhancements and optimize aftermarket support to better serve customer needs.
"New Flyer acquired North American Bus Industries, Inc. in June 2013 to broaden our market position, to improve our technology leadership and to expand our aftermarket parts business, while providing public transit operators with long-term stability and excellence in product support. Today's announced plan is the natural evolution and optimization of product lines at New Flyer and NABI," Soubry explained.
New Flyer expects to deliver orders as previously committed and to provide support for NABI customers of the LFW and BRT products for as long as those buses are in service. A number of NABI customers have already indicated an interest in transitioning to Xcelsior. The Company believes customers will benefit from the enhancements that result from its focus on a single heavy-duty platform.
"With the transition of the Anniston facility, we will manage the potential people impact over the coming months through redeployment, retirements and job attrition, where possible," Soubry said. "We truly appreciate our employees' dedication, hard work and ongoing efforts at New Flyer and NABI and for their focused commitment to our customers each and every day."
During this transition period, management expects to invest approximately $20 million in direct operating costs and capital expenditures to complete the transition, utilizing operating cash flow and current credit facilities. Management anticipates these direct operating and capital expenditures will be paid back through captured cost reductions and synergies within approximately two to three years. Management expects to maintain the Company's dividend policy.
Unless otherwise indicated all monetary amounts in this news release are expressed in U.S. dollars.
I'm not sure how this might affect both WMATA's and Arlington Transit's orders (ART has about 15 new buses in store in the near future). The 654 bus order could very well end up as part NABI, part New Flyer. Perhaps the BRT 42s will be hybrids while the CNGs and artics will be for more Xcelsiors?
Over the last 2 decades, we lost Flxible, RTS, Neoplan, Orion, and now NABI. Gillig, New Flyer, and Novabus seem to be the only ones left when it comes to standard transit buses. Goodbye variety...
Quote from: NewFlyer9736BCT on June 25, 2014, 11:25:02 AM
Over the last 2 decades, we lost Flxible, RTS, Neoplan, Orion, and now NABI. Gillig, New Flyer, and Novabus seem to be the only ones left when it comes to standard transit buses. Goodbye variety...
You can say that again! I mean, I was already saying that when we lost Orion last year. I always knew that NABI would go sooner or later, but not Orion. As for the RTS, MTS is still technically around, but I honestly don't know what they are doing at this time. They'll probably go too. Also, Designline just went under a few months ago and is now a new company called "ECOcoach". I guess we can except more XDE40s at some point down the road. The question is, will this order stay intact?
Quote from: Chargerdodge9 on June 25, 2014, 01:42:23 PM
Quote from: NewFlyer9736BCT on June 25, 2014, 11:25:02 AM
Over the last 2 decades, we lost Flxible, RTS, Neoplan, Orion, and now NABI. Gillig, New Flyer, and Novabus seem to be the only ones left when it comes to standard transit buses. Goodbye variety...
You can say that again! I mean, I was already saying that when we lost Orion last year. I always knew that NABI would go sooner or later, but not Orion. As for the RTS, MTS is still technically around, but I honestly don't know what they are doing at this time. They'll probably go too. Also, Designline just went under a few months ago and is now a new company called "ECOcoach". I guess we can except more XDE40s at some point down the road.
I guess WMATA might buy from Novabus (and maybe even Gillig) next.
This move just doesn't make sense to me. You'll only be offering two bus models and that will probably mean a lot more Xcelsiors will be built.
I also wonder if the NABI employees will be able to work for New Flyer. That would be messed up if they are forced to retire.