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U.S. Manufacturing Boost as Agencies Order 525 New Flyer Buses

New Flyer has received an order from NJ TRANSIT for 375 Xcelsior 40-foot, clean-diesel buses. This order is part of a larger, previously announced multi-phase fleet replacement program, with orders placed in the third and fourth quarters of 2025.

The original contract, awarded in the first quarter of 2024, included a base order of 550 Xcelsior 40-foot, buses to be delivered in three distinct lots, along with options for an additional 750 units. With this newly announced order, NJ TRANSIT has now completed the full base order of 550 buses, leaving all 750 option buses available for future procurement.

“The Xcelsior buses included in this contract deliver dependable, cost-effective performance while improving safety and accessibility for passengers,” said Chris Stoddart, president, North American Bus and Coach, NFI. “Built for durability and long service life, these new buses will help NJ TRANSIT continue providing the reliable, essential transportation services that keep communities and economies moving every day.”

With this additional portion of the contract, NJ TRANSIT can continue replacing aging buses without compromising service. Building and deploying these replacement vehicles strengthens domestic manufacturing, secures good local jobs, and ensures taxpayers get maximum utility from their investment in public transit.

“This additional order underscores NJ TRANSIT’s unwavering commitment to our customers and to delivering the safe, reliable service they depend on every day,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kris Kolluri. “Modernizing our bus fleet is a critical investment in our riders, our employees, and the communities we serve. These new buses move us closer to our goal of a fully modernized bus fleet by 2031—improving reliability, accessibility, and comfort while ensuring we can continue meeting the needs of hundreds of thousands of daily trips across New Jersey.”

New Flyer also announced that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA / Metro) has exercised options for 75 Xcelsior hybrid-electric 40-foot buses and 25 Xcelsior CHARGE NG battery-electric forty-foot buses. The options are being exercised from New Flyer’s Q4 backlog.

The purchase will be supported by federal, state, and local funding as well as funds awarded through FTA’s Low- or No-Emission grant program. The new buses will replace end-of-life vehicles and provide Metro customers with a modernized, efficient passenger experience, while also delivering on the agency’s five-year Strategic Transformation Plan.

“New Flyer is committed to continuing our decades-long relationship with Metro, providing buses that deliver strong value, reliability, and performance,” said Chris Stoddart. “As Metro phases out aging buses, New Flyer’s Buy America-compliant, advanced hybrid and battery-electric vehicles will boost the efficiency, power, and overall service quality of its transit system while fueling good manufacturing jobs and economic opportunity across the United States.”

“These new hybrid and battery-electric buses allow us to replace aging vehicles, improve the customer experience, and continue modernizing our fleet while reducing emissions across the region,” said Randy Clarke, WMATA general manager and CEO. “Partnering with New Flyer helps ensure we’re delivering safe, dependable service and demonstrating good financial stewardship.”

In addition, New Flyer confirmed that the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) is exercising options for 19 60-foot and 31 40-foot Xcelsior compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. This order was included in NFI’s fourth quarter 2025 firm backlog.

Valued at approximately $56 million, the options are part of two five-year contracts with RTC, supported by local and FTA funds, and meet Buy America requirements supporting manufacturing jobs in the U.S. The low-emission buses in this order will replace end-of-life vehicles, ensuring efficient, safe, clean, and sustainable transit for the region’s 64 million annual riders.

“For more than three decades, New Flyer and RTC have partnered to deliver efficient and reliable transportation options tailored to the community’s evolving needs, delivering over 900 buses to date, with more than 500 utilizing low-emission CNG propulsion,” said Stoddart.

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admin Precision Manufacturing News conditional FBR Mantis manufacturing order robot secures support welding

FBR secures conditional order for Mantis welding robot to support US manufacturing

FBR’s Mantis™. Image credit: FBR

Robotic technology company FBR Limited has received a binding conditional purchase order valued at AUD 990,000 for its Mantis welding robot, in a deal aimed at supporting manufacturing operations in the United States.

In a news release, the company said the order has been placed by State Machinery & Equipment Sales, a Louisiana-based dealer for heavy equipment brands, which intends to use the Mantis robot in the manufacture of barges at its facility on the Mississippi River.

FBR stated delivery is anticipated in the second half of calendar year 2026.

According to FBR, the purchase order is conditional on the successful completion of a Factory Acceptance Test to be conducted at the company’s Western Australian facility.

The test will involve Mantis welding a sub-assembly of a hopper barge, with welding speed and quality independently assessed through non-destructive testing in line with AWS D1.1 standards.

Once the Factory Acceptance Test is completed to specification, AUD 450,000 of the contract value will become payable, with a further AUD 450,000 due on delivery and the remaining AUD 90,000 payable three months after delivery.

The contract also includes installation and training services to be provided by FBR in Louisiana.

FBR chief executive officer Mark Pivac said the order reflects early interest in the technology despite it still being in the prototyping phase. “We are very pleased to have secured a binding conditional purchase order for Mantis while we’re still in the prototyping phase, which is indicative of the strong demand we’ve had for the product already,” he said.

He added that the company looks forward to demonstrating the system’s welding performance during the acceptance testing process.

State Machinery president Ed Renton said the company sees the technology as an opportunity to enhance its manufacturing capability. “As the foremost dealer of heavy equipment in Louisiana, State Machinery has a lot of experience in manufacturing and construction equipment, and we are very excited to get our hands on the first Mantis® in the world,” he said.

“We are pleased to be working with the team to bring their robotic welding technology to the United States to boost our manufacturing capability.”

The content of this article is based on information supplied by FBR Limited. For more information, please refer to the official company announcement and communications from FBR. Please consult a licensed and/or registered professional in this area before making any decisions based on the content of this article.

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