Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a subsidiary of New Flyer Industries Inc., will open an MCI Sales and Service facility at 4120 Point Eden Way, Hayward, Calif., in October, the second California center for MCI and its seventh in the U.S. and Canada.

The two-story, 34,000-square-foot building covering 4.2 acres in Hayward features the latest coach 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 pick-up, 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, VP, MCI’s quality and customer service group. “The goal is 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 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 responsible for the opening of the new Hayward center and future upgrades at the other six MCI service centers in North America. Williams, working closely with Ron Miller, director of MCI Service Centers, said MCI will hire locally for 18 technicians at the center.

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, Williams said. “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. 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.”

Recently, MCI realigned its field service, technical call center, 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 proper. 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 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.”

Tuesday, Nov. 14 will be the grand opening celebration, 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.