Orion's constellation rising in Oriskany

ORISKANY--Orion Bus Industries of Mississauga, Ontario is on the move On both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border.

Orion, which has a bus-assembly plant at Oneida County Airport in Oriskany, is moving its parts warehouse into the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome. Meanwhile, on the Canadian home front, Orion is consolidating four buildings into one new 206,000-sq.-ft. structure for assembly and manufacturing purposes.

The year 1996 should be a challenging one for Orion and its parent company, Western Star Truck Holdings, as they try to meet increased demand for their buses and tractor-trailers. The good news is that employment at their plants has increased substantially.

"One year ago we had 200 employees in Oriskany," said Lou Parsons, director of market liaison for Orion. "This year we have over 500 employees. We're trying to keep 1,000 employees working in both countries."

When Orion, formerly Bus Industries of America, first moved to Oriskany in 1982, it had approximately 100 employees. In June, 1995, Western Star, based in Kelowna, British Columbia, purchased certain assets of Bus Industries of America and Bus Industries of Ontario.

Western Star is a manufacturer and assembler of Class 8 trucks (capable of hauling a 33,000-pound load), basically the tractors that make up tractor-trailer combos.

Parsons said Western Star had a volume of $700 million in fiscal 1995, which ended June 30. In 1996, the bus company anticipates doing $1 billion in business.

Parts depot to Griffiss

Orion is moving its parts depot out of Oriskany in order to expand its assembly and manufacturing capabilities at the original site. It will now lease 23,700 square feet of space at the northern end of the former commissary at Griffiss Air Force Base. Orion will sell parts wholesale to transit agencies.

"This will more than triple the company's warehouse-distribution space," pointed out Mark Mojave, the Economic Development Coordinator for Oneida County's EDGE (Economic Development Growth Enterprise).

"It will be used for aftermarket parts, warehousing, and distribution

of

doors, windows and seats--anything that a customer of Orion's will want to repair or replace. One of the attractions is that

the warehouse

is close to the existing facility. We were able to respond to the firm's space needs in a timely fashion. And you'll see American workers benefiting from Orion's investment."

EDGE consolidates the services of the Griffiss Local Development Corporation, Oneida County Industrial Development Corporation, and Oneida County Industrial Development Agency. Steve DiMeo is its executive director.

New York State and the federal government have designated the Griffiss Business Park a Center of Excellence. "We will be happy to participate in discussions with Governor Pataki an Congressman

Sherwood

Boehlert as to how Orion might get involved," Parsons declares.

Made in Canada, finished here

The new state-of-the-art plant in Mississauga will also have an impact upon the Oriskany workers. Once the bus bodies are assembled in Canada, they will be exported to the plant here.

"They will be finished in Oriskany in order. to comply with the Buy America Act," Parsons observes. "The act specifies that all transport buses sold in the U.S. must be 60 percent of U.S. content and must be finished in the U.S."

The Canadian plant will enable Orion to become more cost-effective in producing the vehicles, he added. The cost of the buses depends on client specifications, but they range in price from $275,000 to $350,000. Orion manufactures a 22-foot-long "small community bus" with a low floor that is handicapped-accessible. There is also a 40-foot bus with a high floor and a built-in wheelchair lift.

According to Parsons, a backlog of 1,000 orders should occupy the assemblers through 1996 and into 1997. Orion is capable of delivering 14 buses a week.

When they first came to Oriskany, Orion officials told the local residents the company had high hopes for the future. "I'm glad it worked out that way," Parsons said.

"We plan on being the preeminent bus manufacturer in North America. We believe our product is superior and our technology is state-of-the-art," he added. "We have a lot on our plate."

Orion is also working with General Electric in Schenectady to produce an electric-hybrid bus that promises to be nearly pollution-free. The $1-million project will eventually be tested on the streets of New York City.

Copyright Central New York Business Journal Feb 19, 1996
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