Collins Industries
 | |
| Industry | Manufacturing (Transportation) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1971 |
| Headquarters |
15 Compound Drive Hutchinson, Kansas, 67502, USA |
Number of locations | 3 |
Area served | North America |
| Products |
school buses ambulances special-purpose vehicles |
| Owner | Allied Specialty Vehicles |
Number of employees | 900 |
| Parent | Allied Specialty Vehicles |
| Subsidiaries |
Collins Bus Corporation Mid Bus Corporation Corbeil Bus Corporation |
| Website | http://www.collinsbuscorp.com/ |
Collins Industries (or Collins Bus Corporation) is a Hutchinson, Kansas company that specializes in manufacturing of Type A and Type B school buses, and also manufactures ambulances and other special-purpose vehicles. The company was founded in 1971 and as of 1998 it was made up of four subsidiaries: Collins Bus Corporation, Wheeled Coach Industries, Inc.; World Trans, Inc. and Capacity of Texas, Inc.[1] The company has about 900 employees, in three manufacturing facilities.[2]
History
Collins purchased manufacturer Mid Bus in 1998. Since October 2006 Collins has been an 80-percent owned subsidiary of BNS Holding Inc.[2] The company purchased the assets of Canada-based manufacturer Corbeil Bus Corporation in 2007. Collins was purchased by the investment group American Industrial Partners. In 2010, AIP combined Collins with Fleetwood Enterprises. E-One, and Halcore Group to form Allied Specialty Vehicles (since renamed REV Group).[3]
Products
School Buses
Collins sells its buses under the Collins Bus, Mid Bus, and Corbeil names, with minor design differences in each line. All models are available on Ford or GM cutaway chassis.
On March 29, 2012, Collins released a new bus model, replacing the Collins Bantam series, the Mid Bus Guide series, and the Corbeil Quantam series of bus products. Now, all companies share the bus model name.[4] The first Nexbus product came off of the Collins assembly line on May 16, 2012.[5]
Nexbus SRW- A single rear wheel version of the Nexbus.[6]
Nexbus DRW- A dual rear wheel version of the Nexbus [6]
Nexbus Hybrid- A hybrid version of the Nexbus. It is available only on the Ford E-450 chassis. It was built in conjunction with Azure Dynamics.[7]
Nexbus Propane- A propane fueled version of the Nexbus. It is available only on a GM chassis. It was built in conjunction with Clean Fuel USA.[8]
Nexbus CNG- available on both Ford & GM chassis using a CNG fueled system (compressed natural gas)
Nexbus Electric- This electric version set to be introduced on ford E450 chassis using an Electric drive system an 80 kw li-ion batteries and will have a range of 125 miles.
As Ford introduced the Ford Transit as the replacement for the Ford E-Series in North America, in 2016, Collins introduced its own body for the Ford Transit 350 and 350HD, produced alongside the Ford E-Series cutaway chassis.
In 2017, Collins unveiled a low-floor bus body using the Ram ProMaster 3500 chassis, set to commence production for 2018. The first school bus ever to use a low-floor layout, the vehicle uses a fold-out wheelchair ramp in place of a wheelchair lift.
In 2018 Collins is set to introduce a new Type B school bus using a Ford F59 stripped chassis named "Nexbus XL " with seating of up to 48 passengers using a ford 6.8L V10 Gas engine & ford six speed automatic transmission.
Commercial Buses
World Trans, Inc.
Based in Hutchinson, Kansas, World Trans is a manufacturer of commercial and shuttle buses.[9]
Ambulances and Specialty Vehicles
Wheeled Coach Industries
Wheeled Coach is the world's largest manufacturer of ambulances and emergency service vehicles.[10]
- Custom Series- Type I and Type III models
- FireMedic Series- Type I and Type III models
- Medic Series- CitiMedic Plus and Crusader Plus models
Capacity of Texas
Based in Longview, Texas, Capacity is the only U.S.-based manufacturer of terminal tractors. Originally known as "Trailer Jockey", Capacity was acquired by Collins in 1984[11]
Lay-Mor
Based in Longview, Texas, Lay-Mor manufactures walk-behind and drive-on street sweepers. Purchased by Collins in 2000.
Retired Vehicles
Bantam - A Collins Type A bus model that was replaced by the Nexbus SRW. Single rear wheel bus available in capacities of up to 20 passengers. Known as the Guide by Midbus and the Quantam by Corbeil.
Bantam 422 - Another Collins Type A bus model that was replaced by the Nexbus SRW. Single rear wheel bus available in capacities of up to 20 passengers. Known as the Quantam 422 by Corbeil.
Grand Bantam - A Collins Type A product replaced by the Nexbus DRW. Dual rear wheel bus available in capacities of up to 35 passengers. Known as the Grand Guide by Mid Bus and the Grand Quantam by Corbeil.
Super Bantam - Another Collins Type A bus model replaced by the Nexbus DRW. Dual rear wheel bus available in capacities of up to 30 passengers. Known as the Super Guide by Mid Bus and the Super Quantam by Corbeil.
Bantam XL - A Collins Type B Bus model. It was available with 6 or 7 seating rows which can fit a maximum of 41 passengers. a Nexbus Replacement has yet to be produced.
References
- ↑ Dinnell, Dave (November 6, 1998). "Collins opens $1.1 million facility". Wichita Business Journal. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
- 1 2 "Investor Relations". Collins Industries. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-06-01. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
- ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
- ↑ http://www.schoolbusfleet.com/Channel/Management-Training/News/2012/05/16/Collins-first-NEXBUS-rolls-off-assembly-line.aspx
- 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-08-01. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-08-02. Retrieved 2010-08-25. this shows World Trans's corporate information as their webpage seems to be down
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2003-06-21. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
- ↑ http://www.capacitytexas.com/about.html# Archived 2009-08-25 at the Wayback Machine. Corporate website with basic history.
