FMCA-August Centerfold

[garyde]

The August edition features an H3-45 Liberty. According to the article, Liberty was producing only 12 Coaches in 2009, down from 28 in previous years. In 2008 it seemed they were convertng mostly H3's. The Article is a relatively short piece and I wish they would have spoken more about newer features Liberty was incorporting . They did say it takes 10000 hours to build a Liberty and they are producing both custom and spec Coaches. Asking price is 'around' 2 million.
The other thing I thought was interesting was how Liberty is still a Konigseder family business with Frank , his wife Carolyn and Kurt and his wife Kim fully operational in the daily business of design, engineering and sales.

The business was founded by Frank Konigseder senior in 1968 after he began converting used Greyhound buses for his family's camping trips.
Liberty's name comes from Frank Konigseders Sr.'s town of Libertyvillle, Illinois.

[jack14r]

Liberty's web site shows 2 new 2009 XLII coaches in inventory,I don't know if they converted any others in 09.

[J.C. Watts]

The new inventory has been around for awhile now. There does not appear to be any movement in the new bus department, as the same busses have been on their site for some time. From 28 to 12 is pretty drastic. More than half. No matter who you are that is not good. The good side is that I think the profit margin can still be good for 12 compared to 28. A decrease in workforce surely will happen when you only convert a smaller number. Money saved on salaries. This may be new waters for them as they were producing a lot of spec coaches in addition to custom. The stagnant new inventory shows their spec coaches may not be appealing to the masses. They will probably have to readjust their thinking to what appeals to others rather than themselves when they spec a coach out. They may have to look at how smaller converters are making it in this economy. Liberty may have done well in the previous economy but the game has changed now. Again I think the profit margin can be just as good with a smaller number of coaches produced but I think a change in what appeals to the masses may be in order to SELL those same coaches.

[jack14r]

Liberty had 11 new coaches 45 days ago and they are one of the few to be selling new coaches this summer,maybe I mean the only one.

[phorner]

I believe that Liberty Coach recently won an award from Crestron as well.

[truk4u]

JC,

Any chance you could put a signature in place, my memory is fading...:p

[jack14r]

There is a great golfer by the name of J C Watts,he might be.