A Day In The Life: Collins Bus

Welcome to Hutch Post’s feature series "A Day in the Life." We've gone behind the scenes to see what "a day in the life" is like for some of Reno County's busiest shops, factories and businesses. We'll show the inner workings of facilities you may pass every day, to finally see what goes on inside. From boilers to donuts, join us as we learn how things are designed and produced right here in Reno County with "A Day in the Life." This series will be posted every other Sunday morning.

ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post

HUTCHINSON, Kan.— After starting as a company to fill a niche in school transportation, Collins Bus has grown and endured as one of the nation's leading small bus manufacturers.

One of the first type A buses that eventually became  commonplace for Collins Industries. — One of the first type A buses that eventually became commonplace for Collins Industries.

Founded by Don Collins Sr. as E-CON-O Conversion in Kansas, the company built the first Type A School Bus. Five years later the company moved to Hutchinson as Collins Industry. Through the 1980’s Collins quickly became the leader in small special needs transportation.

There are many steps to building a school bus. It all starts with the materials. They are housed in a pre-assembly area. The parts are made to order and shaped, including the steel skin of the bus.

Assembly begins with steel components and the steel skin that will make up the body of the bus.

Giant mechanical punches cut through the steel skin and bend it into shape. At the same time the inner assembly is being put together as welders assemble the steel roll cages and roof.

Welders assemble the roll cages that form the body of the bus. The cage must meet standards for safety.

The skin is both riveted and glued into place with a strong adhesive.

While the cage is being assembled the skin that makes out the exterior of the bus is shaped and cut to specifications. A giant punch places the rivet holes and other openings that parts and pieces will fit into on final assembly.

A third area is preparing the chassis for final assembly. The parts all converge on an assembly line where the skin and the cage are brought together.

The assembly is painted to color and all of the internal parts are placed inside the vehicle body including seats, windows and mechanical components and fixtures.

The shell of the bus makes its way through the paint booth. Once it makes the trip the paint is fully cured and ready for final assembly.

Once all of that is finished, the entire body assembly is lifted onto the chassis.

The cages make their way down the assembly line where the outer skin of the bus is attached.

Once that is finished, the product goes through a number of quality control steps and the finishing touches are put on the bus such as decals, an undercoating to protect the chassis and any remaining touches that are unique to that order.

After all of the components are assembled and the body is mounted to the chassis, the final assembly takes place. This is where decals, lights and other fixtures are put in place. The chassis is also undercoated to protect the underside of the vehicle.

Collins has been able to adapt to the changing needs of its industry, including E-buses, propane powered vehicles and even emergency vehicles for a time.

The undercoat is applied. This helps both in corrosion protection and provides a quieter ride.

The plant also has continued following a purchase by REV Group in 2006. Collins has become the largest chassis inventory of Type A bus products.

The bus goes through its last check pint before being shipped to its customer.

Collins is still looking for assembly and skilled workers and the hope is that they can increase workforce numbers and keep assembly moving forward.