New Flyer Industries

**New Flyer Industries** (formally **NFI Group Inc.**) is a North American bus manufacturer headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

## History

**Western Auto and Truck Body Works Ltd** was founded by John Coval in 1930 with five employees. In 1945, the company's name became **Western Flyer Coach** with the name a reference to the model name of their first complete bus built. With increased competition in the intercity coach market, the company focused on the urban transit bus market in the 1960s. They introduced the D700 transit bus in 1967. The following year, they delivered their last intercity coach.

Western Flyer Coach was renamed **Flyer Industries Limited** in 1971 when the Manitoba Development Corporation, and agency of the government, acquired 74 percent equity—saving the company from financial troubles.

By 1985, the Manitoba government was looking to divest itself of Flyer Industries. It was anticipated that the manufacturer would have had to cease operation in the near future without a significant investment from the government. An agreement was reached with Den Oudsten Bussen of Holland who would pay $1 million for Flyer Industries's common shares and invest $2,065,000 in the company. The deal closed on July 15, 1986. Flyer Industries changed its name to **New Flyer Industries Limited.**

Under the leadership of Jan den Oudsten New Flyer introduced a new transit bus product range. They also developed North America's first low-floor transit bus, the D40LF, in the late 1980s. The first production models went to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1991.

Following operational and financial difficulties, KPS Special Situations Fund announced in March 2002 that they purchased a controlling interest in New Flyer Industries. They invested $44-million to help recapitalize the company and fund operations. The Manitoba Development Corporation also provided a $20-million loan. In December, 2003, New Flyer announced that Harvest Partners, Inc., a New York-based leading private equity firm specializing in middle market investments, had entered into definitive agreements to acquire New Flyer Industries Limited, from KPS Special Situations Fund. Lightyear Capital, LLC, a New York-based private equity firm joined Harvest in the acquisition.

In October 2003, Coast Mountain Bus Company awarded New Flyer a contract to build Canada's first low floor electric trolleybuses. The order comprised of 228 low floor buses; 40 articulated 60-foot and 188 40-foot trolleybuses. This was also the debut for the redesigned front and rear ends for their low floor bus line.

New Flyer was named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers for the third consecutive year in 2007. The survey was conducted by Mediacorp Canada Inc., publisher of Mclean's Magazine. New Flyer would again make the list in 2008 and later be named by Mediacorp Canada as one of Canada's most earth friendly employers. New Flyer was recognized for actively embracing pollution prevention and waste reduction through such things as reducing volatile organic compounds and efficient use of materials.

In late March 2010, New Flyer announced they had interest in exporting overseas.

New Flyer announced in May 2011 that they had entered into an agreement with Girardin Minibus where they would be the exclusive distributor of New Flyer buses in Quebec. The first Quebec order under this agreement was for the CIT de Sorel-Varennes with up to 27 Xcelsior buses. They were delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011 and entered service in January 2012.

In April 2013, New Flyer introduced the MiDi medium-duty transit bus based on a design by Alexander Dennis. The New Flyer MiDi made its debut at the 2013 APTA Bus and Paratransit conference.

New Flyer agreed to purchase rival bus manufacturer North American Bus Industries in June 2013. A year later, New Flyer announced the discontinuation of NABI's product line. Existing orders were filled into 2015, and remaining orders were converted to New Flyer's product line.

On November 10, 2015, the company announced the purchase of highway coach giant Motor Coach Industries for $455 Million USD from an affiliate of KPS Capital Partners, L.P.

In May 2017, New Flyer and Alexander Dennis announced that MiDi production will be transferred in the fourth quarter of the year from New Flyer's Minnesota facility to Alexander Dennis's facility in Indiana. Sales, marketing and aftermarket parts would also be transitioned to Alexander Dennis with the full support of New Flyer. In total, New Flyer produced 200 MiDi buses for 22 customers.

In December 2017, the company purchased cutaway and medium-duty bus manufacturer ARBOC Specialty Vehicles for $95 Million USD.

In May 2018, the company changed its formal name from New Flyer Industries Inc. to **NFI Group Inc.** to better reflect the multi-platform nature of its business, including vehicles built under its various brands and parts sold by NFI Parts.

In May 2019, the company purchased Alexander Dennis for £320 million.

## NFI Group subsidiaries

* **Alexander Dennis** - Global transit bus manufacturer. Product line includes double deck buses.

* **ARBOC Specialty Vehicles** - North American cutaway and small transit bus manufacturer.

* **Carfair Composites** - Fibreglass component supplier.

* **Motor Coach Industries** - North American motorcoach manufacturer..

* **New Flyer Industries Canada** - Transit bus manufacturer based in Canada.

* **New Flyer of America** - Transit bus manufacturer based in the United States. Includes North American Bus Industries assets.

* **NFI Parts** - Includes aftermarket parts of Orion Bus Industries and North American Bus Industries.

* **Plaxton** - English motorcoach manufacturer. Product line includes double deck buses.

## Production facilities

### Current

* **Crookston, MN** (214 5th Ave. SW, Crookston, MN) - opened in March 1996, second US assembly plant; replaced Grand Forks plant.
* **St. Cloud, MN** (6200 Glenn Carlson Dr., St. Cloud, MN)- opened in 1999, third US assembly plant.
* **Anniston, AL** (106 National Drive, Anniston, AL)- former NABI plant, acquired by NFI in 2015 as fourth US assembly plant.
* **Winnipeg, MB** (711 Kernaghan Ave., Winnipeg, MB) - headquarters and Canadian assembly plant.

### Former

* **Grand Forks, ND** - opened in 1990, first US assembly plant; closed in 1996 after being replaced by new Crookston plant.

## Bus models breakdown

New Flyer buses are represented by a code, which is usually composed of a prefix, a number, and finally a suffix.

The fuel/propulsion type is represented by the prefix, however for the Xcelsior model, the letter **X** is placed before the fuel/propulsion prefix.

**C** - Compressed natural gas (all models except Xcelsior)
**D** - Diesel
**E** - Electric trolleybus (all models except Xcelsior) **OR** battery electric (Xcelsior only)
**F** - Fuel cell
**G** - Gasoline
**H** - Hydrogen or hybrid hydrogen fuel cell
- Originally signified diesel-electric hybrid
**L** - Liquefied natural gas
**N** - Compressed natural gas (Xcelsior only)
**T** - Electric trolleybus (Xcelsior only)
**\_E** - Hybrid-electric propulsion setup, with first letter representing fuel
The number indicates the length of the bus in feet.

**30**
**35**
**40**
**60**
The bus type or model is signified with the suffix. For the Xcelsior which, as stated above, is signified by the letter X before the fuel/propulsion letter(s), the "LF" sufix is omitted.

**HF** - High floor.
-Introduced later after introduction of low floor models.
**i** - Invero model
**LF** - Low Floor units with the original front and rear ends
**LFA (formerly LF BRT)** - Low floor units with BRT styling
**LFR** - Low floor units with restyled front and rear ends
**S** - Suburban transit coach
Frameless passenger windows are also an option, but is not represented in the name of the bus.

## Products

### Current

#### Diesel

* XD35 (*Xcelsior*, 2010 to present)
* XD40 (*Xcelsior*, 2008 to present)
* XD60 (*Xcelsior*, 2012 to present)

#### Diesel-electric Hybrid

* XDE35 (*Xcelsior*, 2010 to present)
* XDE40 (*Xcelsior*, 2008 to present)
* XDE60 (*Xcelsior*, 2012 to present)

#### Natural Gas

* XN35 (*Xcelsior*, 2013 to present)
* XN40 (*Xcelsior*, 2012 to present)
* XN60 (*Xcelsior*, 2011 to present)

#### Electric trolleybus (ETB)

* XT40 (*Xcelsior*, 2013 to present)
* XT60 (*Xcelsior*, 2013 to present)

#### Battery electric

* XE35 (*Xcelsior*, 2018 to present)
* XE40 (*Xcelsior*, 2012 to present)
* XE60 (*Xcelsior*, 2015 to present)

Since 2017, the battery electric Xcelsiors have been marketed under the *Xcelsior CHARGE* nameplate.

#### Fuel Cell

* XHE40 (*Xcelsior*, 2015 to present)
* XHE60 (*Xcelsior*, 2016 to present)

### Historical

#### Diesel high floor

* D35 (1988 to 1997)
* D40 (1987 to 1994)
* D40S (late 1980s to mid 1990s, only purchased by GO Transit)
* D45S Coach bus (Viking, 1998 to 1999, only purchased by Houston METRO and MTA New York City Transit)
* D60 (1988 to 2006)

#### Diesel low floor

* D40i (Invero; 1999 to 2007)
* D30LF (1996 to 2009)
* D30LFR (2007 to 2013, only exists as demo)
* D35LF (1996 to 2009)
* D35LFR (2007 to 2013)
* D40LF (1988 to 2009)
* D40LFR (2006 to 2013)
* D40LFA (2010)
* D60LF (1995 to 2009)
* D60LFR (2007 to 2013)
* D60LFA (2008 to 2010)
* MD30 (*MiDi*, 2013 to 2017)
* MD35 (*MiDi*, 2013 to 2017)

#### Hybrid low floor

* DE40i (Invero; 2005 to 2007)
* DE30LFR (2010 to 2013, offered 2006 to 2013)
* DE35LF (2005 to 2009)
* DE35LFA (2009 to 2010)
* DE35LFR (2010 to 2013, offered 2006-2013)
* DE40LF (1999 to 2009)
* DE40LFR (2006 to 2013)
* DE40LFA (Bus Rapid Transit; 2006 to 2010)
* DE60LF (2002 to 2009)
* DE60LFA (Bus Rapid Transit; 2006 to 2010)
* DE60LFR (2007 to 2013)
* GE35LFR (2009 to 2013)
* GE40LF (2004 to 2009)
* GE40LFR (2008 to 2013)
* GE40LFA (2009 to 2010)
* HE40LF (2006 to 2009)

#### Fuel cell low floor

* F40LF Hydrogen Fuel Cell Test Buses (1996)
* H40LFR (2008 to 2013)

#### Natural gas high floor

* C40 (1994 to 1999)
* L40 (1994 to 1999)

#### Natural gas low floor

* C30LF (1994 to 2009)
* C35LF (1994 to 2009)
* C35LFR (2010 to 2013, offered 2006 to 2013)
* C40LF (1994 to 2013)
* C40LFR (2006 to 2013)
* L30LF (1994 to 2009)
* L35LF (1994 to 2009)
* L40LF (1994 to 2009)
* L40LFR (2009 to 2013)

#### Electric trolleybus (ETB)

* E60 (1993 to 1994)
* E40LF (2005)
* E40LFR (2006 to 2013)
* E60LFR (2007 to 2013)

### Not built

#### Hybrid low floor

* DE60i
* DE30LF (offered 2005 to 2009)

#### Natural gas low floor

* C30LFR (ordered by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority in 2013, later cancelled in favor of the XN35)
* C40LFA (offered 2008 to 2010)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4  Annual Information Form. NFI Group. 20 March 2019. Retrieved on 24 November 2019.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 New Flyer - About. New Flyer.
3. ↑ Special to The Globe and Mail. "Manitoba Gets 74% Equity in Bus Manufacturing Firm." The Globe and Mail (1936-Current), 1971, pp. B2.
4. ↑ Dutch Bus Firm to Acquire Flyer. Press release. 25 April 1986. Government of Manitoba.
5. ↑ KPS SPECIAL SITUATIONS FUND, L.P. PURCHASES CONTROLLING INTEREST IN NEW FLYER INDUSTRIES. Press release. 18 March 2002. New Flyer Industries.
6. ↑ Winnipeg bus maker gets new owner. 16 December 2003. The Globe and Mail.
7. ↑ Harvest Partners to Acquire New Flyer Industries (Press release). New Flyer Industries. 15 December 2003. Retrieved on 09 September 2009.
8. ↑ Translink Renews Trolley Bus Fleet with New Flyer (Press release). New Flyer Industries. 31 October 2003. Retrieved on 09 October 2009.
9. ↑ New Flyer Named to Top 100 Employers in Canada for Third Consecutive Year (Press release). New Flyer Industries. 10 October 2007. Retrieved on 09 October 2009.
10. ↑ New Flyer Named One of Canada's Most Earth-Friendly Employers for 2008 (Press release). New Flyer Industries. 24 April 2008. Retrieved on 09 October 2009.
11. ↑ Cash, martin (25 March 2010). New Flyer eyes overseas markets. *Winnipeg Free Press*. Retrieved on 31 March 2010.
12. ↑ New Flyer Appoints Girardin to sell and support heavy-duty transit buses in Quebec (Press release). New Flyer Industries. 03 May 2011. Retrieved on 23 June 2011.
13. ↑ [
http://www.newflyer.com/index/midi Introducing the New Flyer MiDi™] Retrieved on April 5, 2013
14. ↑ Introducing the New Flyer MiDi™ (Press release). New Flyer Industries. Retrieved on 05 April 2013.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2  NEW FLYER CONFIRMS THE SUCCESSFUL CLOSING OF NORTH AMERICAN BUS INDUSTRIES, INC. ACQUISITION AND RELATED FINANCING TRANSACTIONS Retrieved on June 21, 2013
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 NEW FLYER ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF MCI, NORTH AMERICA’S LEADING MOTOR COACH MANUFACTURER, PARTS AND SERVICE COMPANY, NewFlyer.com, retrieved 10-11-2015
17. ↑  New Flyer and Alexander Dennis Agree to Transition MiDi® Bus to North American-Based Alexander Dennis Inc. Retrieved on May 10,2017
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 New Flyer acquires ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, NewFlyer.com, retrieved 3-12-2017
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1  Canadian bus company NFI acquires British double decker bus company for $546M. 28 May 2019. Retrieved on 28 May 2019.
20. ↑ "New Flyer Buys the Orion Aftermarket Parts Business of Daimler Bus for US$29M." The Canadian Press, 2013.

## External links

* New Flyer Industries official website

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