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Blue Bird Corporation

Blue Bird Corporation, previously known as Blue Bird Body Company, is a manufacturer of school and activity buses.[2] Blue Bird's corporate headquarters and main manufacturing facility are in Fort Valley, Georgia.

Contents

History

1927-1945: Foundation and All-Steel School Buses

Blue Bird was founded in 1927 by Albert L. Luce, Sr. His company became a leading producer of school buses in the Americas. That same year, both Blue Bird Body Company and Wayne Works of Richmond, Indiana reportedly began building all-steel bus bodies, an innovation which soon replaced the wooden bodies which were then in common use around the United States. The early use of farm wagons on a part-time basis soon evolved into purpose-built school bus products, each with economy and function as major priorities.

As the second quarter of the 20th century began, Albert Luce Sr. was one of the entrepreneurs of the period who transitioned from building wagons to developing some of the earliest purpose-built school buses. In a 1939 conference, Blue Bird engineers helped to develop the color school bus yellow, which is still in use today. Blue Bird and Wayne Corporation were several of the earliest to experiment with steel body construction, although such efforts were severely limited by war production product shortages and restrictions during World War II.

1945-1960: The First All American

Following World War II, continuing a transition from one-room schools, there was a nationwide movement in the US to consolidate schools into fewer and larger ones, facilitating graded class structures. This meant that fewer students were attending school in their immediate neighborhoods, particularly as they progressed into high school, and the previous practice of walking to school for many became impractical. This led in turn to a large increase in the demand for transportation.

The company grew substantially and became a major school bus body builder in the post-World War II period. In 1948, Blue Bird founder Albert Luce Sr. saw a design for a flat front bus at an auto show in Paris, France. Two years later Blue Bird Body Company introduced their own transit style design which evolved into the Blue Bird All American, often pointed to as one of the pioneer transit designs to gain widespread acceptance for school buses in North America, along with Wayne Corporation, Gillig Corporation and Crown Coach Corporation (whose "Supercoach" dated to 1932). In 1952, Blue Bird became the first school bus manufacturer to produce its own chassis rather than rely on outside suppliers for the All American; today, all large Blue Bird buses have Blue Bird chassis.[3]

1960-1990: Expansion into new markets

Blue Bird became an international manufacturer of school buses with the opening of Blue Bird Canada in Brantford, Ontario in 1958.[4] In 1965, the company opened its first facility in South America. In Guatemala, Blue Bird manufactured the bodies for the Conventional and the All American for use both as school and transit buses. Instead of importing truck (or Blue Bird) chassis from the United States, the bus bodies were manufactured on locally available chassis unseen in North America (Mercedes-Benz, Hino, Nissan Diesel, and Toyota).

By 1980, Blue Bird was one of the "Big Six" school bus body manufacturers in the United States, competing with Carpenter Body Works, Superior Coach Company, Thomas Built Buses, Inc., Ward Body Works, and Wayne Corporation. Industry overcapacity led Blue Bird to find new markets for its products in order to survive.

Wanderlodge and Transit Buses

Main article: Blue Bird Wanderlodge Blue Bird Wanderlodge (1980)

In the 1960s, Blue Bird Body Company also started making luxury motor coaches based on the All American. Branded "Wanderlodge", the first of this popular product line was built in 1963. The design of the Wanderlodge closely followed that of the All American for over 25 years.

Blue Bird entered the commercial public transit bus market in the 1970s. The shorter wheelbase transit-style models proved popular with smaller cities and those with cul-de-sac route ends, providing better manueverability, and more efficient costs than larger models.

Small School Buses

Although Blue Bird did not come up with the idea of the small school bus, the company gained significant market share with two of its designs. In 1975, Blue Bird introduced the Micro Bird, a dual rear-wheel cutaway van similar to the Wayne Busette. Unlike the Busettes of the time, the Micro Bird featured a full-size school bus door and extra windows to aid loading-zone visibility. Blue Bird would go on to produce the Micro Bird for 35 years with only minor changes, the largest changes being in the van chassis used.

Micro Bird by Girardin.

A limitation behind the Micro Bird was that its van chassis restricted the overall width of the bus body. For a school bus that was short in length but was still as wide as the Conventional/All American, a different solution was needed. In the early 1970s, several manufacturers had begun building bus bodies on General Motors delivery-van chassis. The Chevrolet P30 chassis was able to have 96" wide bodywork fitted to it, while its set-back front axle allowed for greater maneuverability over a van or a conventional. These are known as Type B school buses. In 1977, the Mini Bird was introduced. Like the Micro Bird, it was also marketed towards operators transporting special-needs students. The Mini Bird was sold until 2005.

TC/2000

Main article: Blue Bird TC/2000

For the 1988 model year, Blue Bird supplemented the All American school bus line with the TC/2000 transit-style school bus. Unlike the premium All American, the TC/2000 was priced lower (nearly in line with the Conventional) in an effort to secure bids from larger fleet operators. Coinciding with the introduction of the TC/2000 was most extensive redesign of the All American for the first time since the late 1950s; it was introduced for 1989.

Blue Bird TC/2000 in service as mobile library

Unlike other manufacturers, Blue Bird was able to enjoy a competitive advantage with the TC/2000;[citation needed] like the All American, Blue Bird supplied the TC/2000 with its own chassis as opposed to relying on an outside supplier.

However, the "conventional" design, with a cowled chassis ("Type C" in industry nomenclature) continued to dominate US school bus manufacturing through the end of the 20th century.[citation needed]

1990-2006: Ownership changes

Until 1992, Blue Bird was a private family-owned company. From 1992 to 1999, Blue Bird was owned by a management led buyout team in association with Merrill Lynch Capital Partners.

The Q-Bus commercial bus for transit and charter applications was introduced in 1992.[5] Sagging demand, financial difficulties and changing world markets in the 1990s and early 2000s lead to Blue Bird closing two plants and opening another. Blue Bird East was shut down in 1992; Blue Bird de Mexico in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, was opened in 1995.

Blue Bird was owned by the British Henlys Group PLC with a substantial financial stake held by Volvo Group[6] from 1999 to 2004. Henlys had financial difficulties during this time, including some not related to its investment in Blue Bird. Blue Bird de Mexico in Monterrey, Mexico was closed in 2001.[7] Blue Bird Midwest was closed in 2002.

Blue Bird Vision

According to a company news release from the fall of 2004, Blue Bird became the "sole operating subsidiary" of a newly created holding company, Peach County Holdings Inc. As part of the deal, a banking syndicate made up of Henlys creditors owned 42.5 percent of the Peach stock, according to Blue Bird. The Volvo Group (the world's largest bus manufacturer) owned another 42.5 percent, with the balance owned by Henlys' "pension scheme" and Blue Bird's management. Also in 2004, Blue Bird introduced the Vision, the first conventional-style school bus to be built without relying on an outside supplier for chassis.

However, after a bankruptcy filing, Blue Bird was acquired by Cerberus Capital Management. In connection with the acquisition by Cerberus of North American Bus Industries and Optima Bus Corporation, Blue Bird's acquisition led to Cerberus having a complete line of school and transit buses. Blue Bird is currently owned by the Traxis Group B.V., who acquired them in 2006.[8]

2007-present: Renewed Focus On School Buses

Through 2007, Blue Bird executed a series of plant closing and product line divestitures intended to re-focus the company on the school bus market in an effort to improve profitability and market position.[9] The commercial bus product lines were sold to Cerberus subsidiary North American Bus Industries, Inc. for assembly at NABI's Anniston, Alabama facilities.[9] Blue Bird’s original and last remaining international plant, Blue Bird Canada, was closed August 10, 2007.[4] Later in 2007, the rights to the Wanderlodge were sold to Complete Coach Works, ending Blue Bird's 44-year participation in the Recreational Vehicle market. [9][10]

Blue Bird No. 1, the first steel-body Blue Bird school bus, was donated to The Henry Ford in 2008.[11]

In October 2009, Blue Bird entered into a joint venture with Canadian school bus manufacturer Girardin Minibus. The partnership, named Micro Bird, Inc. ended production of the Micro Bird model to consolidate all Type A school bus production at the Girardin facilities in Quebec, Canada. All future Type A school buses will be branded Blue Bird Micro Bird® by Girardin while Blue Bird itself focuses on Type C and D buses.[12] The 2010 Micro Bird was the last Blue Bird body built on a non-Blue Bird chassis.

Manufacturing and assembly

Traditionally, school buses such as those produced by Blue Bird consist of components purchased from various "outside" suppliers and parts which are manufactured "in house" to the company's specifications. These two categories of parts are then typically assembled into bodies which can be mounted onto chassis which have often been variations of those used in a myriad of truck applications.

Production-wise, the large "home" plant complex in Fort Valley, Georgia served as both an in house part manufacturing plant for the entire organization, as well as one of the six locations where bodies were assembled from in house and purchased components. Parts and service were also located in Fort Valley, as was Wanderlodge Wayside Park, a tree-shaded motor home park for visiting Wanderlodges adjacent to the Wanderlodge plant.

Products

In addition to school, activity, and commercial applications, Blue Bird buses have been custom-built for unique applications such as bloodmobiles, mobile libraries, and public safety command centers.

Current product line

Current Product Line
Model Name Micro Bird by Girardin Vision All American
Photo
Year Introduced 2010 2004 1948
Assembly Drummondville, Quebec, Canada
  • Fort Valley, Georgia
  • LaFayette, Georgia (2004-2010)
Fort Valley, Georgia
Configuration

Type A

  • single rear wheel (MB-II)
  • dual rear wheel (G5)
Type C

Type D

  • front engine
  • rear engine
Chassis Manufacturer Ford Motor Company

General Motors

Blue Bird
Fuel Type(s)
  • Gasoline
  • Diesel
  • Diesel
  • Propane
  • Diesel
  • Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
Passenger Capacity 10-30 36-77 54-90
Other Notes
  • Introduced for 2011 model year as part of Micro Bird, Inc. joint venture with Girardin.
  • Replaces Micro Bird
  • The Vision was introduced in 2004 and is currently in its second generation (introduced 2008).
  • The Vision uses an in-house chassis from Blue Bird, unique among Type C school buses.
  • The All American FE has been produced on a Blue Bird-designed chassis since 1952; the All American RE chassis has been produced by Blue Bird since 1988.[13]
  • Current version (2010 model year) is internally known as the "D3", replacing the previous-generation "A3" sold from 1999-2009.
  • Known in export markets as the Blue Bird TX3; formerly known as the TC/3000 and All Canadian.[14]
New Products

The 2010 All American, which features a complete exterior and interior redesign, was revealed at the 2008 NAPT trade show on October 28, 2008, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.[15] As part of the Micro Bird, Inc. joint venture, the Blue Bird-designed Micro Bird was replaced with Girardin's own designs for the 2011 model year; although the G5 is new to Blue Bird, the MB-II was sold by Blue Bird from 1992-1999.

Former product lines

School Buses
Small Buses
Model Name Micro Bird MB-II/MB-IV Mini Bird
Configuration Type A
  • single rear wheel
  • dual rear wheel
Type A
  • single rear wheel (MB-II)
  • dual rear wheel (MB-IV)
Type B
Years Produced 1975-2010 1992•1999 1977•2005
Chassis Supplier Ford Motor Company

General Motors

Ford Motor Company

General Motors

General Motors
  • Chevrolet P30
Assembly
  • Fort Valley, Georgia
  • Mount Pleasant, Iowa
  • Brantford, Ontario, Canada
  • Drummondville, Quebec, Canada
  • Buena Vista, Virginia
  • Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Notes
  • Replaced with products from Micro Bird, Inc. joint venture with Girardin.
  • From 1992-1999, the Micro Bird was sold alongside Girardin-produced Blue Bird MB-II/MB-IV models.
  • From 1995-1996, a heavy-duty model using the Chevrolet P30 chassis was produced using modified Chevrolet G30 front bodywork.
  • Introduced in Canada in 1991.
  • Produced by Canada's Girardin Minibus and distributed in the United States as Blue Bird-brand products[16]
  • MB-II still produced by Girardin today.
The Mini Bird was Blue Bird's first bus aimed primarily towards special-needs customers.
Large Buses
Model Name Conventional CV200 & SBCV TC/1000 TC/2000
Configuration Type C Type D
  • front engine
Type D
  • front engine (1988•2004)
  • rear engine (1991•1998)
Years produced to 2008 1997•2001 1988•2004
Chassis Supplier

Chrysler Corporation

  • Dodge D-300 (dropped in 1977)

DaimlerChrysler Corporation

Ford Motor Company

  • Ford B700 (1966•1998)

General Motors

International Harvester

Navistar International

Blue Bird
Assembly
  • LaFayette, Georgia
  • Mount Pleasant, Iowa
  • Buena Vista, Virginia
  • Brantford, Ontario, Canada
  • Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
  • Fort Valley, Georgia
  • LaFayette, Georgia
  • Mount Pleasant, Iowa
  • Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Notes
  • Replaced by Vision in 2003.
  • Blue Bird received exclusive use of General Motors Type C chassis from 1992-2003.
  • Navistar 3300-chassis version was named Blue Bird SBCV.
  • Marketed primarily for special-needs customers
  • Smaller than TC/2000
  • Front-engine version only
  • Flat-floor interior configuration
  • Lighter duty chassis than All American
  • Lower price meant to attract larger fleet buyers.
Blue Bird CS transit bus
Transit Buses
Motorhomes
Prototypes

Manufacturing facilities

Blue Bird Corporation currently operates two manufacturing facilities, both in Georgia, United States: the Blue Bird Body Company in Fort Valley, and Blue Bird North Georgia in LaFayette which is scheduled to close August 30, 2010[19].

In the past, Blue Bird has had an international manufacturing presence, with two factories in Canada, one in Mexico, and one in South America. These have now all been closed due to changing market conditions and Blue Bird's change back to a lineup of school bus-based vehicles.

Blue Bird Corporation Manufacturing Facilities
Name Location Product Lines Year Opened Year Closed Notes
Blue Bird Body Company Fort Valley, Georgia See Notes
  • The first Fort Valley facility opened in 1935; destroyed by fire in 1945.
  • Present Fort Valley facility opened in 1946.
Blue Bird North Georgia LaFayette, Georgia
  • Vision
  • Conventional
  • TC/2000
1988 2010
  • Scheduled to close August 30, 2010.[20]
Blue Bird Canada Brantford, Ontario, Canada
  • TC/2000
  • Conventional
  • Micro Bird
  • parts
1958 2007 Blue Bird also operated a facility in St. Lin, Quebec from 1975-1982
Blue Bird Midwest Mount Pleasant, Iowa
  • TC/2000
  • Conventional
  • Mini Bird
  • Micro Bird
1962 2002
Blue Bird de Mexico Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
  • Conventional
1995 2001
Blue Bird East Buena Vista, Virginia
  • Conventional
  • Mini Bird
1972 1992
Blue Bird Central America Guatemala City, Guatemala See Notes 1965 1980s Produced All American and Conventional bodies on locally available chassis.
Blue Bird Wanderlodge Fort Valley, Georgia 1963 2007 Originally opened as Cardinal Manufacturing

Images

Chevy/Blue Bird bus used by Gloria Dei Lutheran School in Hampton, Virginia.

Back end of a Blue Bird bus owned by Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hampton, Virginia.

‎1997 Blue Bird CV200 with Ford B-700 chassis conventional school bus operated in handicapped service by the Shelby County, Alabama Board of Education in Helena, Alabama.

Blue Bird All American FE bus in transit service in Bronx, NY.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Blue Bird Corporation/About Us/Overview". http://www.blue-bird.com/general.aspx?id=58&quickid=68. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  2. ^ http://www.blue-bird.com Blue Bird Corporation
  3. ^ "Blue Bird Corporation/About Us/History". http://www.blue-bird.com/general.aspx?id=66&quickid=68. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
  4. ^ a b Blue Bird Corporation To Relocate Micro Bird Production; Blue Bird Press Release, May 8, 2007
  5. ^ http://www.secinfo.com/dRqWm.82F7.htm#d4p Blue Bird Body Co. 1996 10-K405 Annual Report -- [X] Reg. S-K Item 405
  6. ^ "Volvo Group; Volvo Logistics North America". Volvo.com. http://www.volvo.com/logistics/na/en-us/industry+sectors/. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  7. ^ Osborne, Alistair (2001-09-07). "Telegraph.co.uk; Henlys takes a skid after US bus sales fall". Telegraph.co.uk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2001/09/07/cnbus07.xml. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  8. ^ "Blue Bird Corporation/About Us/History". http://www.blue-bird.com/general.aspx?id=66&quickid=68. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  9. ^ a b c http://www.blue-bird.com/2007-07-16_01.php Blue Bird Corporation To Sell Coachworks Coach And RV Product Lines To Complete Coach Works; Blue Bird Press Release, July 16, 2007
  10. ^ CCW Acquires Blue Bird Coachworks and Wanderlodge
  11. ^ "School Bus Fleet News, Blue Bird No. 1 donated to historical institution, March 10, 2008". Schoolbusfleet.com. 2008-03-10. http://www.schoolbusfleet.com/t_inside.cfm?action=news&storyID=1646. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  12. ^ "Press Releases/BLUE BIRD AND GIRARDIN ANNOUNCE JOINT VENTURE(2009-10-19)". http://www.blue-bird.com/pressrelease.aspx. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
  13. ^ "Blue Bird Corporation/About Us/History". http://www.blue-bird.com/general.aspx?id=66&quickid=68. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  14. ^ "Autobus Girardin - Minibus (Specialized bus) Used minibus | Autobus Girardin (School bus) Girardin Minibus". Girardinbluebird.com. 2009-05-23. http://www.girardinbluebird.com/content/en-US/nouvelles_article.aspx?NewID=15. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  15. ^ "National Association for Pupil Transportation". Napt.org. 2009-07-30. http://www.napt.org/displayconvention.cfm. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  16. ^ "Girardin; A Brief History". Autobusgirardin.com. http://www.autobusgirardin.com/content/en-US/historique.aspx. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  17. ^ http://www.secinfo.com/dRqWm.82F7.htm#d4p Blue Bird Body Co. 1996 10-K405 Annual Report -- [X] Reg. S-K Item 405
  18. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/19980519134502/blue-bird.com/envirobus.html Archived version of Blue Bird's website on this vehicle, with link to specifications.
  19. ^ http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/jun/24/lafayette-blue-bird-bus-plant-being-shut-down/?breakingnews LaFayette Blue Bird bus plant being shut down; Chattanooga Times-Free Press; June 24, 2010
  20. ^ "Press Releases". Blue Bird Corporation. http://www.blue-bird.com/pressrelease.aspx. Retrieved 25 June 2010.

External links

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v Blue Bird school bus product lineup
A corporation privately held by Cerberus Capital Management.
In Production
Type A Micro Bird by Girardin (G5, MB-II)
Type C Vision
Type D All American
Out of Production
Type A Micro BirdBlue Bird MB-II/MB-IV by Girardin
Type B Mini Bird
Type C Conventional/CV200/SBCV
Type D TC/1000 • TC/2000
v North American School bus manufacturers
Active Manufacturers
Blue Bird CorporationCollins Industries (Collins, Mid Bus, Corbeil) • Girardin MinibusIC Bus • Starcraft Bus • Thomas Built Buses, IncTrans Tech
Defunct Manufacturers (Including date of closure)
2000s Carpenter Industries, Inc (2001) • American Transportation Corporation (AmTran) (2002) • Les Enterprises Michel Corbeil (2008) • Liberty Bus (2005) • U.S. Bus Corporation
1990s Coach and Equipment Manufacturing • Crown Coach Corporation (1991) • Gillig Corporation (1993) • Mid Bus (1998) • TAM-USA (1991) • Wayne Corporation (1992) • Wayne Wheeled Vehicles (1995)
1980s Ward Body Works (1980) • New Bus Company (1989) • Superior Coach Company (1985)
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1960s Hackney Brothers Body Company (1966)
1950s Kenworth-Pacific (1957)
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Categories: Blue Bird Corporation | Bus manufacturers | School bus manufacturers | Manufacturing companies of the United States | Companies based in Georgia (U.S. state) | Peach County, Georgia | Companies established in 1927 | School buses | Cerberus Capital Management companies

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