Collins Bus Corporation Becomes First School Bus Manufacturer to Make SafeGuard XChange™ Seating Standard

SOUTH HUTCHINSON, Kan., Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IMMI, the industry leader in the design, testing and manufacturing of advanced safety systems for commercial vehicles, and Collins Bus Corporation, North America's largest manufacturer of small school buses, today announced that SafeGuard XChange™ seating products by IMMI will soon be standard on all Collins, Mid Bus, and Corbeil buses.

With its unique design, SafeGuard XChange seating gives buyers the freedom and flexibility to meet safety demands both now and in the future. The seating builds on IMMI's SmartFrame® technology, which offers enhanced compartmentalization protection, to allow operators to easily exchange inner seating modules from standard to lap-shoulder belts or integrated child seats.

"Collins will be the first school bus manufacturer to make XChange seating standard. Providing cost-effective, upgradable seating solutions to our customers—and throughout the industry—simply makes sense," said Kent Tyler, president of Collins Bus Corporation. "To build the highest-quality Type A buses to the highest standards of safety means we must partner with other industry leaders. We've long admired SafeGuard and look forward to offering their innovative seating products."

IMMI CEO Larry Gray added:  "This year, we're celebrating 10 years of building seats for the school bus industry, with more than 150,000 seats in service. Partnering with Collins, who has always been a true innovator in the small bus market, allows us both to take a significant step forward in offering flexible seating systems to the school transportation market. It's truly a winning combination for our collective customers and the industry as a whole."

The XChange seating will be manufactured at IMMI's newest location in Burrton, Kansas. Located at 302 East Dean Road, the new operation should create more than 30 new jobs in the first 12 months of operation.

For additional information on Collins Bus Corporation, visit www.collinsbuscorp.com. For more information on IMMI and its line of SafeGuard seating products, visit www.imminet.com or www.safeguardseat.com.

About Collins Bus Corporation

Collins Bus Corporation, a subsidiary of Allied Specialty Vehicles, Inc. (ASV), markets Type-A buses throughout North America under the brands of Collins, Mid Bus, NEXBUS, and Corbeil. They produce advanced technology solutions such as Propane, CNG, and Hybrid-Electric powered buses. Collins has the largest distribution network of any Type-A bus company with over 50 dealers in the United States and Canada. Collins' parent, ASV, with revenues of approximately $1Billion, is a market leader in multiple segments, including ambulance, fire and rescue, recreational vehicles, terminal trucks and street sweeper products. 

About IMMI and SafeGuard

IMMI, based in Westfield, Ind., has been the industry leader in child and bus passenger protection for more than 30 years. Within the past decade, IMMI has introduced belted seating under its SafeGuard brand to the U.S. school bus and motorcoach industries. Utilizing a modern crash-test facility, sophisticated engineering and advanced manufacturing operations, IMMI develops and supplies innovative, proven SafeGuard restraint systems and seating solutions for customers worldwide. A well-established global presence with facilities in North America, Asia and Europe, IMMI brings safety to people throughout the world.

SOURCE Collins Bus Corporation