Speedy restart is anticipated

IMLAY CITY, Mich. A fire that destroyed the main manufacturing plant of Champion Bus Inc. isnt expected to halt the companys assembly operation for very long.

Instead, the company that builds Champion and General Coach America small and midsize buses, as well as two midsize models for ABC Companies, expects to be back in production this month.

"We have the luxury of having two plants (on site), so we can move production to the other plant," said Andrew Imanse, group president of the commercial buses unit of Thor Industries, which owns Champion. General Coach American and Champion are sister companies, sharing facilities.

He said the second facility, which was not damaged, was set up for production but at the time was only being used for finishing work.

"We just have to rearrange some things," said Imanse. "We have the materials on hand and probably will just have to fix a few jigs and fixtures."

He said the manufacturing complex employs about 300 people and Thor is eager to get them back to work as soon as possible.

The Feb. 14 fire that gutted the 100,000-square-foot plant destroyed buses that were on the assembly line, plus raw materials and equipment.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, nor the dollar the amount of damage. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it would be responsible for the first $5 million in damages.

"We are deeply saddened about the tragedy Champion has experienced," said Brenda Borwege of ABC Companies.

She said ABC is working with Champion-General Coach to mitigate any inconveniences that may occur to the company or its customers.

"Champion is working on contingency plans, and they have been a good partner with ABC," she noted.

Champion-General Coach produces two 35-foot models for ABC, the 3035RE and the M1235.

There were early, unconfirmed reports the fire began in a welding area. Employees had been working in plant on Saturday, the day before the fire was discovered.

There also were indications the fire burned for several hours before it was noticed outside the building around 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

When the local fire chief arrived on the scene he soon discovered there was no one in the plant, so he hurriedly began removing materials the fire had not yet reached. The effort reportedly saved some tooling and jigs, as well as bus sidewalls and caps.

Logistics is a key issue in resuming production, including where to store materials and components used in the production of buses. Thor and Champion spokesmen, as well as other sources, said the company had moved quickly to lease warehouse space in and around Imlay City.

In addition to getting the production line running as quickly as possible, Imanse said discussions have been held regarding rebuilding the plant.

"We already met with the architects," he said.

Thor, which was founded 30 years ago, has about 5,500 employees working at a dozen divisions in Indiana and Michigan. It acquired Champion in 1998.

Richard Riegel of Thor said although the fire was devastating, it could produce a silver lining.

"Well get through this," he said. "It will create a better opportunity for us to improve."