MACON, Georgia — IMMI, the trusted global leader in school bus seating, joined Blue Bird Corp. to celebrate the grand opening of its manufacturing facility in Macon, Georgia. IMMI’s 75,000 square-foot plant will support school bus maker Blue Bird after the company announced to equip select model buses with industry-first safety upgrades, including seats with three-point seat belts as standard protection for all student passengers and a steering wheel deployed air bag to safeguard school bus drivers.

“Today, not only do we celebrate safety leadership alongside our partner Blue Bird, we also are thrilled to add 80 good-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs to middle Georgia,” announced Larry Gray, CEO of IMMI. “We are also here to recognize Blue Bird’s continued commitment to advancing school bus safety by being the first school bus manufacturer to make lap-shoulder belts standard on their buses and provide frontal airbags to protect school bus drivers in communities across the United States,” added Norm Gould III, school bus president and IMMI CFO.

IMMI’s 4Front airbag safety system will also be standard safety equipment on Blue Bird’s Vision- model school buses beginning this month.

“Every day, millions of children travel on our buses to school and back home. They are the most precious cargo in the world,” said John Wyskiel, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. “For nearly 100 years, Blue Bird has led the way in school bus safety. We partnered with IMMI to bring industry-first, standard student and driver safety systems to school districts in North America. We are thrilled that our joint commitment to safety drives investments, manufacturing expansion, and job growth in our home state and beyond.”

Under the brand SafeGuard, IMMI’s Macon facility manufactures state-of-the-art school bus seats, which help to protect millions of children every day. Blue Bird was the first school bus manufacturer to announce in 2024 that lap-shoulder belts would be standard safety equipment on their school bus seats.

“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have called for school bus manufacturers to provide lap-shoulder belts for the 25 million plus children who ride on buses every year, and Blue Bird has answered that call,” added Wyskiel.

As demand increases for IMMI SafeGuard’s lap-shoulder belt seats, IMMI expects to add more jobs to its workforce in Macon. The company will post open roles on its career website and encourages qualified candidates to apply.

“Illinois recently passed legislation joining eight other U.S. states mandating lap-shoulder belts on new school buses,” said Gray. “We expect other states to follow suit as they recognize that even on the safest vehicles on the road, which are school buses, seat belts continue to save lives and reduce injuries.”

Press Photo/Caption: IMMI’s 75,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Macon, Georgia produces industry-leading school bus seats with three-point seat belts for Georgia-based school bus maker Blue Bird Corporation. Blue Bird is the first school bus manufacturer in the United States to equip select model buses with three-point seat belts as standard protection for all student passengers and a steering wheel deployed air bag to protect school bus drivers. (Image provided by IMMI)

About IMMI

IMMI® is the trusted, global leader of safety solutions, helping to protect millions of lives every day. For almost 60 years, IMMI has led the way in developing, designing, testing and manufacturing innovative safety restraints and systems. IMMI’s safety products are found worldwide on car seats, heavy trucks, school buses, recreational/off road, military, fire/EMS, motor coach, and construction vehicles. Employee-owned, IMMI is headquartered in Westfield, Indiana and operating nine additional global facilities, IMMI is also home to CAPE, the world’s leading state-of-the-art testing facility. For more information, visit https://www.imminet.com.

About Blue Bird Corporation

Blue Bird (NASDAQ: BLBD) is recognized as a technology leader and innovator of school buses since its founding in 1927. Our dedicated team members design, engineer and manufacture school buses with a singular focus on safety, reliability, and durability. School buses carry the most precious cargo in the world — 25 million children twice a day — making them the most trusted mode of student transportation. The company is the proven leader in low- and zero-emission school buses with more than 25,000 propane, natural gas, and electric powered buses sold. Blue Bird is transforming the student transportation industry through cleaner energy solutions. For more information on Blue Bird’s complete product and service portfolio, visit www.blue-bird.com.

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CAMPBELL, Calif., – ChargePoint (NYSE: CHPT), a leading provider of EV charging solutions, today announced Safeguard Care, a new service offering that provides end-to-end reliability monitoring of ChargePoint charging stations. The program, available now in six launch markets, utilizes a network of trained service providers to routinely inspect chargers, identifying and repairing many common issues while onsite.

“ChargePoint continues to develop innovative solutions that ensure EV charger reliability, from anti-vandalism measures to monitoring our hardware from our network operations center. Safeguard Care further demonstrates our commitment to delivering a reliable charging experience,” said JD Singh, Chief Customer Experience Officer of ChargePoint. “As the original manufacturer of the chargers, we are able to ensure the highest standards of service and support. With Safeguard Care, we are giving station owners and EV drivers peace of mind knowing that chargers will be in pristine working order.”

Safeguard Care, combined with ChargePoint AssureÒ, is an ideal solution for charging providers with high traffic and distributed charging stations, such as municipalities, parking garages and workplaces. It is particularly beneficial for station owners who do not have their own dedicated staff to inspect and maintain their stations on a regular basis. Each Safeguard Care visit includes a visual inspection of the charging station and the physical area around the chargers, cleaning, minor repairs or adjustments if necessary, and a test charge to validate functionality after the completion of repairs. Any issues the Safeguard Care inspector cannot address on site will be escalated directly to ChargePoint support for follow up.

For more information about Safeguard Care, please visit: https://www.chargepoint.com/businesses/services.

About ChargePoint Holdings, Inc
ChargePoint has established itself as the leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging innovation since its inception in 2007, long before EVs became widely available. The company provides comprehensive solutions tailored to the entire EV ecosystem, from the grid to the dashboard of the vehicle. The company serves EV drivers, charging station owners, vehicle manufacturers, and similar types of stakeholders. With a commitment to accessibility and reliability, ChargePoint’s extensive portfolio of software, hardware, and services ensures a seamless charging experience for drivers across North America and Europe. ChargePoint empowers every driver in need of charging access, connecting them to over 1.25 million charging ports worldwide. ChargePoint has facilitated the powering of more than 16 billion electric miles, underscoring its dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and electrifying the future of transportation. For further information, please visit the ChargePoint pressroom or the ChargePoint Investor Relations site. For media inquiries, contact the ChargePoint press office.

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