NFI Group
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| File:New Flyer logo.png | |
| Company type | Public (TSX: NFI.UN Template:Pink sheets) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transit |
| Founded | 1930 (as Western Auto and Truck Body Works Ltd) |
| Founder | John Coval |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Canada, United States |
Key people | John Marinucci - CEO |
| Products | Heavy-duty transit buses |
| Website | www.newflyer.com |
New Flyer Industries Inc. (TSX: NFI.UN, Template:Pink sheets) is a bus manufacturer in North America, headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It also has factories in Crookston and St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA.
History
New Flyer was founded by John Coval in 1930 as the Western Auto and Truck Body Works Ltd. Reflecting an increased focus on bus manufacturing, it changed its name in 1948 to Western Flyer Coach. In the 1960s the company further focused on the urban transit bus market. Once again it changed its name to Flyer Industries Limited in 1971. On July 15, 1986, Jan den Oudsten, a descendant of the family who created the Dutch company Den Oudsten Bussen BV, purchased Flyer Industries, changing its name to New Flyer Industries Limited. Den Oudsten Bussen B.V was a bus manufacturer in its native country, the Netherlands. New Flyer subsequently introduced North America's first low-floor bus, delivering the D40LF to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1991. In 2001, the delivery of 6300 low-floor buses represented close to half of the North American fleet, confirming New Flyer as the dominant player in the transit bus manufacturing industry in North America, a role previously held by the now defunct Flxible.
In March 2002, New Flyer was acquired by KPS Special Situations Fund in New York. Also in the same year, Mr. den Oudsten retired as CEO of New Flyer Industries Ltd. and has recently been inducted into the Hall of Fame of the American Public Transportation Association.
On December 15, 2003, New Flyer announced that Harvest Partners, Inc., a New York-based private equity firm, had entered into definitive agreements to acquire New Flyer Industries Limited, from KPS Special Situations Fund. Lightyear Capital, a New York-based private equity firm, joined Harvest as a co-investor in the transaction. John Marinucci, CEO of New Flyer, said, "This is exciting news for New Flyer" And he went on to say that KPS specializes in turning around struggling businesses and that they typically do not hold assets after the turnaround has been accomplished. And that ever since the KPS purchase, New Flyer had achieved excellent operational and financial performance. He especially praised the employees.
In 2004, New Flyer received an order of low-floor trolleybuses from the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority; the order consists of 188 E40LFR units and 40 E60LFR units. The first E40LFR was delivered in July 2005, and the rest of the units will be delivered beginning August 2006.
2005 also saw the introduction of optional redesigned front and rear endcaps for their buses. The new endcaps are an attempt to modernize and streamline the look of their fleet, which is more or less a box on wheels. Also, a new "R" suffix (not an official designation) was applied on all units produced with the new endcaps. The redesigned endcaps made their debut with the 2005 E40LFR order from the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority.
On May 16, 2007 New Flyer of America Inc has been awarded a procurement for up to a total of 715 60-foot articulated buses from King County Metro (KCM) in Seattle, WA. This order includes a firm order for 22 hybrids with options for up to 493 diesel or hybrid buses for KCM and 200 assignable options for a total value of up to US $514 million, which was included in the order backlog reported in New Flyer’s 2007 First Quarter Financial Report.
In 2003, KCM awarded what was then the largest ever order of hybrid buses (213) to New Flyer. The success of that program and those buses helped position New Flyer as the leader in hybrid bus manufacturing in the US and Canada. Should KCM execute all options as hybrids, this order will establish KCM as having one of the largest hybrid bus fleets in the world.
In October 2008, New Flyer Industries Canada ULC was named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's newsmagazine. Later that month, New Flyer was also named one of Manitoba's Top Employers, which was announced by the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper.[1]
Bus models
Each designation is preceded by a letter before the model name, which is given below.
- C means that the bus is powered by compressed natural gas,
- D means diesel-powered,
- DE means that the bus is a hybrid-electric unit using diesel fuel,
- E is the designation for trackless trolleys,
- GE means that the bus is a hybrid-electric unit using gasoline,
- H was revived in 2008 to signify a hydrogen fuel cell bus (40LFR model only)[2],
- HE designates a hybrid-electric hydrogen-fueled bus, and
- L designates a liquefied natural gas bus.
Suffixes possible are
- A (for BRT models) and
- R (for a restyled front end, designed by Vancouver transit officials).
In the past,
- i was used for the Invero low-floor bus,
- F designates a fuel cell bus,
- H meant that the bus was a hybrid-electric unit using diesel fuel -- later changed to "DE",
- S was used for a suburban coach, and
- V was used for the Viking model.
Current production
| Model | Length | Photo | Introduced | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30LF(R) | 30 feet (9.144 meters) |
|
1996 |
|
| 35LF(R) |
35 feet (10.668 meters) |
|
1996 |
|
| 40LF(R) |
40 feet (12.192 meters) |
  
|
1989 | |
| 40/60LFA |
40 or 60 feet (12.192 or 18.288 meters) |
|
2005 |
|
| 41LF(R) | 41 feet (12.497 meters) |
|
2005 |
|
| 60LF(R) | 60 feet (18.288 meters) |
 
|
1997 |
|
| Xcelsior[3] | 41 feet (12.497 meters) |
|
2008 |
|
Discontinued models
- Western Auto & Truck Body Works
| Model | Introduced | Retired | Notes | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Auto & Truck Body Works | ||||
| Buda Lo-525 | 1937 | 1941? | 32 seat bus first bus produced by new company; sold to Grey Goose Bus Lines | |
| Western Flyer Coach | ||||
| Western Flyer (no official model name) | 1941 | 1941 | front engine highway coach | |
| T-28 | 1945 | 1945 | 28 seat highway coach | |
| T-32 | 1945 | 1959 | 32 seat gas engine highway coach | |
| T-36 | 1950 | 1955 | 36 seat standard highway coach | |
| T36 | 1955 | ? | 36 seat two-level 40-2L body | |
| Canuck | 1953 | diesel rear engine prototype | ||
| P-37 "Canuck" | 1955 | 37 seat gasoline rear engine | ||
| C-40 | 1949 | 1955 | 40 passenger intercity bus | |
| T-40 | 1949 | 1955 | 40 passenger transit bus version of C-40 | |
| P-37 "Canuck" | 1955 | 1958 | 37 passenger intercity coach | |
| P-41 "Canuck" | 1958 | 1964 | 41 passenger diesel rear engine intercity bus | |
| D500 "Canuck" | 1964 | 1967 | 31' 35-37 seat diesel rear engine | |
| D600 "Canuck" | 1967 | 1968 | stretched version of D500; 38' 43-45 seat diesel rear engine | |
| Flyer Industries | ||||
| D700/D700A | 1968 | 1974 | ||
| E700/E700A | 1968 | 1973 | Trolleybus version of the D700/A. | |
| D800/D800B | 1974 | 1981 | This model is based on the AM General Metropolitan which itself was an updated version of the D700[4] |
|
| E800/E800B | 1974 | 1978 | Trolleybus version of the D800/B. Notable operators of the E800 were the MBTA in Boston, Massachusetts and Muni in San Francisco, California. Boston's E800s were unique in that they had an extra set of doors on the driver's side of the bus, necessary for operation in the Harvard Square bus tunnel. |  
|
| D900 | 1978 | 1980 | ||
| D901/D901A | 1980 | 1986 | 
| |
| E901A | 1981 | 1981 | This speciality trolley model is built for Vancouver | 
|
| D902 | 1984 | 1984 | This speciality model is built for San Francisco | 
|
| E902A | 1982 | 1984 | This speciality trolley model is built for Vancouver | |
| New Flyer Industries | ||||
| C40/D40/L40 | 1987 | 1999 | Also known as the C40HF, D40HF and L40HF respectively. | 
|
| D35 | 1988 | 1997 | Also known as the D35HF. | |
| D60/E60 | 1988 | 2004 | Also known as the "Galaxy" articulated or D60HF and E60HF respectively. The E60 was only built from 1993-1994 for San Francisco. | 
|
| D40S | 1988 | mid 1990s | A suburban version of the D40; manufactured for Canadian operators only. | |
| D45S | 1988 | mid 1990s | Canada model only | |
| F40LF | 1996 | 1996 | This model is a fuel cell (Hydrogen) test. | |
| D45S ITV | 1998 | 1999 | This model is named as "Viking" Coach bus. 104 units made for Houston METRO and the NYC Transit Authority. |
|
| D40i/DE40i | 2001 | 2007 | This model is named the Invero. One of the largest customers for the D40i is OC Transpo in Ottawa, Canada. This model is also used by Burlington Transit and London Transit (LTC). Only several DE40i (hybrid diesel/electric) versions were produced. They can be found operating for the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority in Aspen. |
|
Source: New Flyer Industries Inc.
