MCI to mark 75 years of coach building at UMA EXPO

MCI will bring more than its motor coaches, green initiatives and information on its PRO Support network to UMA Expo in January: It will bring its history.

"MCI is a leader in the industry because of its decades of experience, commitment to quality craftsmanship and the dedication of our people," said President and CEO Tom Sorrells. "Historically, MCI has been known for many of the 'firsts' in the marketplace. Our plan is to continue to adapt technologies and services that benefit the customer. It's been MCI's way ever since the beginning."

Hot topics at the San Francisco trade show are sure to include MCI's upcoming hybrid diesel coaches, the first of which are being built for Houston Metro. MCI's Pro Support staff expect MCI's coach-driving simulator to be a hit again on the showroom floor, and Pro Support team members will be on hand to tell customers more about the MCI Training Center in Louisville, where customer technicians can come to perfect their craft. Attendees will also learn what stops and activities they can expect from the latest version of the MCI Grand Tour, the sales and educational event that takes place at various customer-convenient locations around the United States and Canada. And, of course, MCI will have its latest and greatest coach models out on display, highlighting the company's latest eco-initiatives and luxury amenities.

But a lot of the buzz will be about the past.

The first 75 years

Like so many journeys, MCI's started with one man and a horizon. While MCI founder Harry Zoltok got into the bus business as far back as 1928, it was in 1933 that he took the giant leap from repairing the buses of others to building his own. That first coach, an 11-passenger body based on a Packard car chassis, was built in the company's 5,000-square-foot plant, then known as the Fort Garry Motor Body and Paint Works Limited.

It's a favorite MCI legend that Zoltok used to draw rough "blueprints" with a stick in the dust of the factory floor. It's hard to imagine such a design process now, but Zoltok's crew was able to translate his vision into a series of coaches unlike anything the industry had yet seen. In 1937, the company designed, built and delivered its first "own-chassis" coach, to Winnipeg's own Grey Goose Bus Lines.

The innovations piled up quickly. In 1939, the company introduced windshields over radiators, stainless steel panels and the "pancake" mid-ship engine. In 1940, Fort Garry Motor Body and Paint Works moved to a new 20,000-square-foot facility on St. Matthews Avenue in Winnipeg. And in 1941, the company officially became Motor Coach Industries Limited.

MCI's true dominance began with the famous MC-6 "Super Cruiser," commissioned by Greyhound Lines, Inc. Hailed as an engineering marvel, the "Queen of the Highways" sported a stainless steel frame, 102-inch wide wheelbase and distinctive good looks. By the end of the 1960s, MCI had increased its production ten-fold, from about 50 coaches a year to approximately 500.

A quality reputation

In 1973 MCI introduced the 40-foot MC-8, which quickly garnered unprecedented market acceptance. In 1978, the company developed the MC-9 Crusader II, which became the best-selling coach in North America, a position it held until the D-Series finally outsold it a couple of years ago.

In 1990, MCI produced a prototype of a fully accessible coach with a storable wheelchair lift and a fully accessible washroom. In October 1996, The Beach Boys helped MCI launch its 102 EL3 Renaissance® (now the E4500), a completely redesigned coach that set new industry standards and won awards for its technology, design and engineering. The J4500 followed, quickly climbing the sales charts to become the industry's most popular coach.

Expanding for the future

The last ten years have been just as momentous. Milestones have included the plant expansions in Winnipeg that allowed MCI to again build its coaches entirely at one site, except for D-Series that is finished in Pembina, North Dakota. MCI also opened its parts distribution center in Louisville in 2000, and more recently opened the MCI National Training Center there.

MCI looks forward to upholding it's leadership position and reputation for quality, reliability, integrity and value for at least another 75 years.

Harry Zoltok would have been proud.

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