Carpenter Body Company
Carpenter Body Works was an American bus manufacturer. Founded in 1918 in Mitchell, Indiana, the company produced a variety of vehicles, with the majority of production consisting of yellow school buses for the United States and Canada.
Remaining a family-owned company into the late 1980s, Carpenter entered bankruptcy at the end of 1989 and was forced to reorganize to survive. In 1995, the company relocated to the former Wayne Corporation facilities in Richmond, Indiana; in 1996, the company rebranded its product line as "Crown by Carpenter". In 1998, Carpenter was acquired by specialty vehicle manufacturer Spartan Motors.
In early 2001, Carpenter ended vehicle production, as its market share declined further.
History
Foundation
Carpenter traces its roots to 1918, in Mitchell, Indiana. Local blacksmith Ralph H. Carpenter established his own blacksmith works; at the time, part of the business involved building and repairing horse-drawn wagons. At the time, in many rural areas, these were still adapted to carry people simply with the addition of wooden benches. Inspired by the merger of two local school systems in the area near Mitchell, in 1922, Carpenter shifted from repair to construction of new bodies, constructing his first wooden-bodied "kid hack". By the mid-1920s, motorized truck chassis formed the basis of all vehicle bodies. Although still constructed primarily of wood, the new bus bodies were now reinforced by steel in the exterior and framing.In 1935, the combination of wood and metal construction was replaced by a body built solely of steel; the roof panels were welded together instead of riveted, forming a single panel. At the same time, the company debuted an early form of the school bus stop arm, though in a much different form: instead of a stop sign, the company used a clenched fist with a red-painted index finger that was propped out from the side of the bus. In 1937, Ralph Carpenter reincorporated his business as Carpenter Body Works, expanding into a larger factory in Mitchell in 1939.
In 1939, Ralph Carpenter attended a New York conference organized by rural education professor Dr. Frank W. Cyr, who sought to develop uniform design standards for school bus manufacturers; the event led to the birth of school bus yellow. Several of Carpenter's ideas were adopted, including shatterproof safety glass, steel seat frames, and a fold-out stop sign.
In 1941, the company became one of the first publicly owned bus manufacturers. During the World War II moratorium on private-sector vehicle manufacturing, Carpenter became a bus supplier for the US Army and US Navy, becoming a source of buses for military training facilities across the United States.
In May 1947, the Carpenter factory in Mitchell, Indiana, was heavily damaged by a fire in the paint shop.
1950s
In the era following World War II, Carpenter began marketing itself under "The safest link between home and school" under the mascot of a lance-carrying knight ; in various forms, this was used to the end of the 1980s.In 1954, Carpenter produced its first transit-style "forward-control" bus. Similar to designs from Blue Bird and Wayne, the company used Marmon-Herrington as its chassis supplier. As with other manufacturers, Carpenter conventional-style buses in the early 1950s were available on a variety of chassis, including Chevrolet/GMC, Ford, Dodge, International Harvester, Mack, REO, Diamond T, Studebaker, and White.
In March 1956, the Mitchell, Indiana factory was again struck by fire; starting in the body-fitment station, the fire caused nearly $750,000 in damage. Much of the factory was destroyed, with the exception of the warehouse, upholstery shop, and paint shop ; approximately two dozen buses were driven away from the fire to safety.
With the help of factory workers, the factory was rebuilt and expanded in just 89 days. During the reconstruction, some workers worked without pay until later compensated..
1960s
In November 1963, company founder Ralph Carpenter died at age 86. Though living part-time in Florida since World War II, Carpenter had maintained his leadership role at the company that bore his name until his death; over 55 years, the company shifted from a rural blacksmith works fixing wagons as a side business to building nearly 3,000 school buses yearly. The company continued operations as a family-owned business, with leadership transferring to his son-in-law John A. Foddrill.To the end of the 1960s, Carpenter continued its operations as it had since the 1920s: every vehicle was essentially built one at time without an assembly line and essentially to order. Though body designs primarily varied in size and passenger capacity, Carpenter allowed for an extensive range of specialization and available options for a purchaser.
In 1969, Carpenter became one of the first manufacturers to offer a downsized school bus for smaller-scale operators. Based on the General Motors P-chassis, the Carpenter Cadet CV utilized the roof and the body of the conventional-body Carpenter from the entry door rearward; the forward portion of the Cadet was developed similar to a "stepvan". The Cadet would spawn a number of similar designs from other manufacturers, remaining in production through 1998.
At the end of the 1960s, Carpenter underwent a further expansion of its facilities. Under a management objective, the raw materials used in the construction were sourced entirely from within Indiana.
1970s
During the 1970s, Carpenter was among six major school bus manufacturers in the United States and was among four family-operated companies ; Carpenter claimed an annual production of 6,000 vehicles annually. For conventional-chassis vehicles, its Indiana facility claimed approximate geographic centrality between Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and International Harvester.In 1970, Carpenter upgraded its transit-style school buses with the introduction of the Corsair, with a diesel-fuel engine becoming an option for the first time. The Marmon-Herrington chassis was replaced by an Oshkosh chassis for the front-engine Corsair; the rear-engine Corsair sourced its chassis from Hendrickson; both versions shared a wraparound curved "fishbowl" windshield. The same year, Carpenter sold 24 buses to Nicaragua, with their new owners driving the vehicles over 4,000 miles home on the Pan-American Highway.
In 1972, Carpenter removed metal-backed seats from its school buses, replacing them with fully padded seats; the design was modified further as all school buses were required to comply with FMVSS 222 in April 1977.
During much of 1978, production at the Mitchell, Indiana facility was halted by a six-month long labor strike lasting from February to August.
1980s
As the 1980s began, school bus manufacturing became critically affected by the same factor that previously drove its success: the end of the baby boomer generation was on the verge of completing their secondary education. Coupled with the unstable economy of the time, the bus manufacturing industry faced manufacturing overcapacity stemming from lowered product demand.In 1981, Carpenter made its first move expanding beyond its Mitchell, Indiana home. After securing over $1 million in loans, the company opened a machine shop in North Vernon, Indiana; the facility was also opened in response to the 1978 strike. To diversify production beyond its school bus lines, Carpenter introduced the CBW transit bus. A rear-engine mass-transit bus designed in 30 and 35-feet lengths, large orders for the CBW were received from the Southern California Rapid Transit District, the Chicago Transit Authority and New Orleans RTA.
During the first half of the 1980s, the company began to modernize its school bus range. For 1983, the Cavalier replaced the front-engine Corsair, adopting the International 1853FC chassis. Sharing parts of its design with the CBW, the Cavalier upgraded driver visibility and ergonomics over its predecessor; as it was sold in limited numbers, the rear-engine Corsair remained in production. During 1984, the Carpenter conventional-body school bus underwent its most extensive updates in nearly 20 years, distinguished by nearly-flat bodywork above the windshield and rear windows. In 1985, Carpenter introduced its smallest school bus, with the Carpenter Clipper using a cutaway van chassis.
Though less volatile than the 1978 strike, operations for Carpenter faced further instability as the 1980s progressed. After selling fewer than 150 units, Carpenter closed down its CBW transit bus line during 1984. In 1985, the company opened a chassis-manufacturing plant in Seymour, Indiana, but would close it within a year of opening. While the North Vernon plant opened in 1981 was intended to support the Mitchell factory, the operation ultimately worked the other way around. As the facility never produced a profit for the company, Carpenter idled the North Vernon facility after 1986, ending all operations at North Vernon in 1988.
For 1989, Carpenter introduced a new front-engine bus, replacing the Cavalier with the Counselor; along with moving to a GMC-produced chassis, the Counselor was designed with a larger front windshield. After nearly two decades, the rear-engine Corsair was produced for the last time.
In December 1989, Carpenter Body Works was forced by its creditors to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy, facing nearly $14 million in unpaid debt. During the 1980s, the company became the third of the six major manufacturers to undergo bankruptcy, following Ward Body Works and Superior Coach.
1990s
In 1990, Indianapolis-based businessman Dr. Beurt SerVaas formed a holding company to acquire Carpenter Body Works. Although the company board were in favor of the acquisition, the labor force initially rejected the proposal, as it required massive labor concessions. During March 1990, production was idled altogether and over 300 employees were laid off during negotiations. CBW, Inc. acquired Carpenter Body Works in late April 1990 for a sale price of $5 million, with CBW assuming the financial obligations of the existing company. The Foddrill family transferred leadership to Dr. SerVaas; after 72 years, Carpenter was no longer a family-operated business. At the time of the acquisition, Dr. SerVaas referred to the product line as the Cadillac of school buses". The company began a series of moves to improve its financial health, including the sale of its closed manufacturing facilities and a renegotiated labor contract. Under its new ownership, Carpenter Body Works was quietly renamed Carpenter Manufacturing Company.In May 1991, Carpenter purchased tooling, product rights, and intellectual property of California-based Crown Coach. At the time, the company sought to use the assets to revive production of the Crown Supercoach Series II to replace the Corsair for 1992. The plan was ultimately shelved, as Carpenter deemed the complexity of the unibody chassis and aluminum-panel body too expensive. Though the Supercoach Series II would not re-enter production, Carpenter did pay attention to its design, as the bus that ultimately replaced the Corsair did adopt several elements of its design.
For 1992, Carpenter released the Coach RE, its first new rear-engine bus since 1970. Though of more traditional design than the Crown Series II, the Coach still bore multiple similarities, including the vertical configuration of its taillamps, its headlamp configuration, and its standard 6V92 Detroit Diesel engine. The Carpenter Coach was also the first school bus to utilize a chassis produced by specialty manufacturer Spartan Motors. Coinciding with a minor update, the Carpenter Clipper was renamed as the Carpenter Classmate. For 1994, the Classmate was joined by a single rear-wheel bus, as Carpenter entered into a joint venture with Quebec-based manufacturer Corbeil to distribute vehicles in the United States.
In 1994, Carpenter underwent a major change, as the company acquired a new home. Approximately 120 miles northeast of Mitchell, Carpenter leased the shuttered facilities of Wayne Corporation in Richmond, Indiana, transitioning its entire workforce there by the end of 1995. The move brought Carpenter to a larger, more advanced facility, and it also inherited a considerable amount of leadership and workforce of the former Wayne operations, bringing considerable experience and knowledge of the plant and industry to the effort.
For 1996 production, the move to Richmond began to make its appearance in Carpenter vehicle design. To return some previous tooling to use that it inherited from previous Wayne production, the Carpenter Classic adopted some parts of the Wayne Lifeguard, including its larger windshield, split entry door, and its drivers' control panel. Less visibly, Carpenter made structural upgrades to the body, adding single-piece roof bows and an additional full-length rub rail. As a result of both the design and tooling change, 1996 and later Carpenters became unrelated to units containing a crucial structural flaw. That situation was not envisioned by anyone then and would only become an issue nearly a decade in the future.