WESTFIELD, Ind. – Today IMMI, a leading provider of school bus seats with lap-shoulder belts, announced that the company will begin manufacturing SafeGuard seats at a new plant in High Point, N.C., beginning in July. The facility, two blocks away from the C2 plant of Thomas Built Buses, will offer just-in-time deliveries to the Thomas plant.
IMMI General Manager Larry Gray says the new plant is a key element of the company’s manufacturing strategy to localize its supply chain. “IMMI has become a global provider of safety products for commercial vehicles,” he explained. “We are taking the initiative to locate new manufacturing plants in strategic locations that simplify logistics, reduce freight costs and offer our customers a faster response time.”
IMMI will continue to manufacture school bus seat components and seating modules for Thomas Built Buses in its Indiana plant, while using the new plant for final assembly of its popular SafeGuard FlexSeat® and SafeGuard Integrated Child Seat (ICS). Both products incorporate award-winning SmartFrame technology, which provides the protection of lap-shoulder belts for belted passengers, while offering full compartmentalization protection for unbelted passengers in frontal crashes.
Gray explains that the ongoing success of the SafeGuard brand requires a new approach. “While funding for municipalities has declined, we’ve experienced an increased interest in the SafeGuard brand, dictating more efficient manufacturing processes,” he said. “While only two states, California and Texas, mandate belted seating on school buses, the time is now to increase our OEM support and help Thomas Built Buses manage the increasing number of SafeGuard seat pilot programs. These programs have come from as close to home as Lafayette, Indiana, and as far away as Uruguay, South America.”
With the addition of the North Carolina plant, the global presence of IMMI continues to expand, including its world headquarters in Indiana, as well as operations in England, Mexico and China.
