Motor Coach Industries to stay in Pembina after previously planned closure falls through

(Pembina, ND) -- A Pembina bus manufacturing company will stay open after their parent company decided to remain in the state.

Motor Coach Industries' Parent Company, NFI Group, reversed their announcement of a planned closure of the facility in Pembina. The facility, which employs several hundred people, announced their intent to lay off 60 employees in April of 2021. The announcement prompted a response from several lawmakers, calling for MCI to reconsider the move.

"We have serious concerns the closure of this facility which has been manufacturing in Pembina since 1963, will significantly affect the livelihood of the nearly 200 employees currently working at the plant," wrote lawmakers John Hoeven, Kevin Cramer, and Kelly Armstrong in a joint letter to Motor Coach Industries, "Additionally, the closure of this facility will increase the stress on the local economy of Pembina and the surrounding region."

Now, the company is expected to stay in the community of 503 people.

"This is tremendous news for the community of Pembina and the surrounding region, which will not only have the existing jobs maintained, but will see additional investment brought to the MCI facility,” said Hoeven. “We are pleased that MCI has listened to our calls and decided to remain in North Dakota, and we look forward to our continued efforts together to meet the workforce and operational needs of this and other businesses. This is exactly why we worked to build a good business climate in our state that enables us to both attract and retain skilled workers and companies.”