NFI’s Alexander Dennis proposes new Scottish manufacturing strategy in response to changing market demand

LARBERT, United Kingdom, March 31, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (TSX: NFI, OTC: NFYEF, TSX: NFI.DB) NFI Group Inc. (NFI), a leading manufacturer of buses and coaches and a provider of comprehensive aftermarket parts and service solutions, subsidiary Alexander Dennis, today announced it is consulting on a new manufacturing approach aimed at securing Scottish production operations and safeguarding jobs.

Under the consultation, Alexander Dennis would convert its Larbert manufacturing facility to a chassis manufacturing site, supporting all its low-emission and zero-emission bus products. The Company would also close its legacy Falkirk facility, aligning with its long-standing plans to exit that site.

The proposal would safeguard approximately 200 skilled manufacturing and support jobs previously at risk of redundancy and would retain approximately 350 roles within Scotland.

In total, up to 115 roles would be placed at risk of potential redundancy. However, Alexander Dennis would retain the flexibility to reintroduce bus body manufacturing to its Larbert facility at a later date, enabling the company to respond positively to future needs and to match production capacity to market demand.

Alexander Dennis proposed closing both of its Scottish manufacturing sites in Falkirk and Larbert, with up to 400 jobs at risk of redundancy. In Alexander Dennis and the Scottish Government agreed on a first-of-its-kind furlough scheme aimed at protecting jobs and long-term manufacturing capacity in Scotland, which has enabled the company to propose a different outcome for its Scottish manufacturing colleagues.

“This represents the best possible outcome for our business, employees, customers, and supply chain partners in the current climate,” said Paul Davies, President & Managing Director, Alexander Dennis. “We will continue to work with the Scottish Government, its agencies, and the trade unions to support staff during the consultation period. We are absolutely committed to doing the right thing by our team members and our stakeholders to protect jobs, invest in our business, and maintain strategically important manufacturing capability in Scotland.”

“While this is a difficult decision, the proposal is about aligning Alexander Dennis’ production capacity with today’s demand. It also enables us to preserve flexibility going forward should we see changes in domestic content requirements,” said John Sapp, President and Chief Executive Officer, NFI. “Closing the legacy Falkirk facility and converting the Larbert site to chassis manufacturing enables us to operate more efficiently, improving our competitive position, while maintaining a strong footprint in Scotland that we can scale in response to market conditions.”

Changing Market Dynamics Drive Need for Consultation

The UK domestic bus manufacturing sector has lost significant market share in the last 12 months, with 51% of all zero-emission buses purchased in the UK sourced from overseas manufacturers – an increase of 25 percentage points from 2024. These increased purchases from non-UK bus manufacturers have occurred even as UK taxpayer-funded contributions in the industry increased.

While there has recently been increased focus on the domestic impact of bus manufacturing and local content requirements, government actions have not led to changes in domestic manufacturing demand.

Today's announcement does not change NFI's guidance for fiscal year 2026, originally announced on March 11, 2026.

About NFI

NFI is a leading independent global bus and coach manufacturer and a provider of aftermarket parts and service solutions. With more than 9,000 team members across ten countries and operations spanning over 40 facilities, NFI delivers a comprehensive portfolio of bus and coach platforms.

Through its brands New Flyer^® (heavy-duty transit buses), MCI^® (motorcoaches), Alexander Dennis Limited (single- and double-deck buses), ARBOC^® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), and NFI Parts™, NFI supports a diverse and extensive portfolio, serving public transit, commuter, and coach markets. In total, NFI supports an installed base of more than 100,000 buses and coaches worldwide. NFI offers a broad range of propulsion systems, including zero-emission electric (referring to propulsion systems that do not utilize internal combustion engines, such as trolley, battery, and fuel cell), natural gas, electric hybrid, and advanced diesel technologies, providing agencies with multiple fleet technology options. NFI’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NFI) and its convertible unsecured debentures trade under the symbol NFI.DB. News and information is available at , , , , , , and .

About Alexander Dennis

Alexander Dennis is a leading manufacturer of double-deck and lightweight buses. The company’s next-generation zero-emission buses are tailored to operators’ requirements and have been independently confirmed to be among the most efficient electric buses in the market. Alexander Dennis also offers low-emission buses that use advanced load management to deliver competitive total cost of ownership for customers. All Alexander Dennis products are backed up by comprehensive AD24 aftermarket support including parts, field service, workshops, technical publications, training and the AD Connect telematics suite.

Alexander Dennis builds on 130 years of heritage and today has team members at 16 facilities in ten countries as well as partner locations. It is a proud part of leading independent global bus and coach manufacturer NFI Group. Further information is available at .

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to expected future events and financial and operating results of NFI that involve risks and uncertainties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, investors cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material. Actual results may differ materially from management expectations as projected in such forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons, including market and general economic conditions and economic conditions of and funding availability for customers to purchase buses and to purchase parts or services; customers may not exercise options to purchase additional buses; the ability of customers to suspend or terminate contracts for convenience; production may be delayed or production rates may be decreased as a result of ongoing and future supply chain disruptions and shortages of parts and components, shipping and freight delays, and disruption to and shortage of labor supply; and the other risks and uncertainties discussed in the materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and available on SEDAR at .  

Due to the potential impact of these factors, NFI disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law. 

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