DES PLAINES, Ill. — Motor Coach Industries plans to open a sales and service facility this fall in the San Francisco Bay Area, its second in California and seventh in the U.S. and Canada.
The new facility will open in October in Hayward, Calif.
The two-story, 34,000-square-foot building covering 4.2 acres features the latest motorcoach diagnostic equipment and tooling with the capacity to provide comprehensive service from general maintenance work to complete coach refurbishing. The service center will have 10 service bays including a paint booth. The rest of the facility will feature OEM parts pickup, offices for administrative staff and technician training facilities to keep local operators’ maintenance team members at the top of their game on new coach systems.
“We are investing in the very latest diagnostic equipment and technologies with a layout in the shop to get coaches in and out fast, with accurate, reliable repairs to help operators maximize coach uptime,” said Jim Macdonald, vice president of MCI’s Quality and Customer Service Group.
“The goal is to have the facility be an attractive destination for MCI and Setra coach operators and serve them with OEM parts. Yet we will have the capacity to work on other motorcoach and bus brands as well.”
The City of Hayward sits on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay Area. The new MCI location is near the eastern end of the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, easily accessible from the local interstates. City officials have welcomed MCI, providing assistance to assure an on-time opening and ongoing success.
“The attraction of an MCI Sales and Service Center to our industrial crescent is a win for this community,” said Paul Nguyen, economic development specialist for the city. “MCI will create over 35 new job opportunities for our residents, including specialized mechanic and technician positions. They could potentially grow to become a major contributor to the city’s sales tax base.”
The new facility will provide service to both large and small operators in the area that together operate more than 450 MCI and Setra coaches in the Bay Area, said Jon Williams, program manager of the MCI Service Centers. He is responsible for the opening of the new Hayward center and future upgrades at the other six MCI service centers in North America.
Williams said MCI would hire locally for 18 technicians at the center.
He said that in terms of capacity, attractiveness and operations, Hayward will raise the bar in service and present the model of all other MCI Service Center facilities in the next few years.
“It will be our new flagship facility for MCI sales and service, representing brand consistency across all of our seven locations and any we may add in the future,” Williams said. “Any operator of MCI and Setra coaches traveling cross-country will feel as much at home in the MCI Sales and Service Center in Des Plaines, Ill., or in Dallas and they’ll enjoy the highest standard of service that only MCI can provide.”
MCI recently realigned its field service, technical call center and warranty operations and transformed its service center structure from aftermarket parts to an OEM factory function to enhance the service and support experience for customers.
The greater San Francisco area is notable in the motorcoach industry for its extensive employer-funded shuttle networks serving the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley and San Francisco. These systems offer daily service with upscale amenities, making access to top service and parts assistance critical.
“Our Sales and Service Centers provide our most important point of personal contact with our customers, and (MCI parent) New Flyer is planning significant long-term investments in this area,” said Ian Smart, president of MCI. “We’re particularly pleased to be kicking off these improvements in northern California because its coach population is significant and will provide a blueprint for the way we upgrade throughout North America.”
The company will hold a grand opening celebration at the new facility on Nov. 14 as part of an MCI Reliability Rally annual open house, with events including test drives of MCI and Setra coaches, service discounts, supplier sessions and special deals on new and pre-owned coaches. Visitors will also enjoy lunch and a chance to win prizes. For a complete schedule of events visit www.mcicoach.com.
