HEADLINES
Customer ‘Voice’ Drives Redesign of Collins NEXBUS
Collins Bus Corp. unveiled a complete redesign of its Type A
NEXBUS school bus for the company’s Collins, Mid Bus and Corbeil models, which began rolling off the production line last month on their way to dealers. Te changes are a result of the “Voice of the Customer” initiative, which in 2008 began solicit- ing recommendations from customers, drivers, maintenance staff and dealers from across the school bus and child care markets. “We’re extremely proud of the effort put forward by the
whole team to bring out this latest design,” said Kent Tyler, president of Collins Bus. “Trough our Voice of the Customer initiative, we asked for recommendations from customers large and small, from mechanics to drivers, and from numerous experts in the industry. All that effort has given us a new Type A product that will enable us to further grow our position as the leader in the market. “We fully understand that if you aren’t moving forward, you
are falling behind. And this NEXBUS design is further reinforce- ment of our unwavering commitment to safety and quality.” Literally a big visible change is larger passenger windows, added
John Doswell, vice president of sales and marketing. Drivers will see a 30-percent increase in visibility through the view-out window in the transition section forward of the loading door. Other new features include a new battery and storage drawer, enhanced construction
The redesigned Type A NEXBUS
and a larger electrical panel with a single, common-line scheme. Te bus, which underwent durability testing that simulated 7
years/200,000 miles of use at the Altoona (Pa.) Bus Research and Testing Center, also comes standard with the SafeGuard XChange seat that offers customers the option of converting from a base seat to one equipped with lap-shoulder belts. Doswell said the redesign team turned individual interview notes
into “voices” and then took a “war room” approach over several days to weigh the recommendations by importance. Safety was given the highest priority followed by how the recommendations would affect cost, flexibility of the platform to the customer and alignment with Collins’ lean manufacturing processes. ■
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