New Flyer, MCI To Combine

The MCI motor coach business and the New Flyer heavy duty transit bus business will be combined into a single entity according to the NFI Group Inc. The NFI Group is a global bus manufacturer with more than 9000 employees and 50 facilities in 10 countries.

NFI brands include New Flyer, Alexander Dennis Ltd. (single and double-deck buses), Plaxton (motor coaches), MCI, ARBOC (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), and NFI Parts.

The combination is part of an initiative being the company is calling “NFI Forward” to rationalize its business units and facilities.

“While we have been working to streamline our businesses to enhance competitiveness by leveraging scale, expertise, and capability, the drastic and unanticipated impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to revisit our unique business definitions,” said Paul Soubry, NFI president and chief executive officer. “The first major activity of NFI Forward is the immediate combination of New Flyer and MCI into one business, and to ensure a smooth transition Ian Smart (former MCI President) has been appointed executive vice president, Business Transformation of NFI to lead the effort.”

The newly combined entity will retain both brands and will operate under New Flyer President Chris Stoddart.

“We know the past several months have been extremely hard on all of our customers, and our primary focus was to continue providing exceptional customer care as they responded to the pandemic,” said Smart. “The dramatic drop off of the motor coach market, and the challenges resulting from COVID-19 presented an opportunity to integrate MCI into New Flyer, resulting in a more efficient and cost-effective combined business. Unfortunately, it also means the elimination of certain executive roles, and I want to recognize and thank those affected for all that they contributed to MCI and to our customers for so many years.”

The combined entity will continue offering all models of New Flyer transit buses and MCI motor coaches. MCI public market sales will be combined under New Flyer Vice President of Sales & Marketing Jennifer McNeill, while MCI private market sales will be led by Brent Maitland, vice president, Private Sector Sales & Marketing. Pat Ziska will continue to lead private new coach sales team, while Steve Batho will continue to lead MCI technical customer support and service centers.

NFI vehicles include a wide range of drive systems available including diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, and zero-emission electric. In total, NFI now supports over 105,000 buses and coaches currently in service around the world.