Coachwork International was a bus manufacturer in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Founded in 1926 as New Zealand Motor Bodies, in 1983 it merged with Hawke Coachwork to form Coachwork International. It ceased trading in 1993.
History New Zealand Motor Bodies
New Zealand Motor Bodies (NZMB) was established in 1926 as Munt, Cottrell, Nielsen and Company Limited when Munt, Cottrell & Co of Wellington and Neilsen's Body Works of Dannevirke merged.Company Affairs Auckland Star 5 June 1926 page 11New Zealand Motor Bodies Limited Pentone's First 100 Years Hutt City 1940
NZMB operated from the corner of Hutt Road and Jackson Street in Petone building metal frame bus and coach bodies and other commercial bodies, hoists and other truck equipment.New Zealand Motor Bodies plant, Keith Street Manawatu Heritage It bodied over 1,000 Bedford SBs for the New Zealand Railways Department.
A new factory building in Keith Street Palmerston North was opened on 3 July 1977. The new plant covered 18,000 square metres.New bus body plant opened by major NZ builder Truck & Bus Transportation January 1978 page 114
Coachwork International In 1983 NZMB merged with competitor Hawke Coachwork to form Coachwork International. Owned by Moller Corporation and Newmans, in 1987 it held an 80% share of the New Zealand bus bodying market. Production continued at the Palmerston North plant, while Hawke's plant in Takanini was retained, specialising in building and repairing buses for city authorities.CI Sizes up the Aussie Market Truck & Bus Transportation April 1987 pages 60-63 In 1988, Coachwork International was purchased by Jaguar Rover Australia.Nisbet to Coachwork, Losew to Hino Australasian Bus & Coach October 1988 page 12 After Jaguar Rover Australia was placed in administration, and with the impending end of tariff protection. Deloitte & Touche received no offers to purchase the business with operations ceasing in June 1993.JRA Creditors Pay for its Survival Australasian Bus & Coach July 1993 page 11
Products In 1973, it produced the first of 590 VoV bodies for imported Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and MAN bus chassis. In 1977 NZMB obtained manufacturing rights for the Swiss Carrosserie Hess system.Aluminium buses for New Zealand Truck & Bus Transportation January 1978 page 65Aluminium Alloy Bus Construction Fleetline issue 32 March 1989 page 9Hess and the Co-Bolt System Rattler issue 453 July 2015 page 39 In the early-1980s, NZMB bodied 450 Volvo B58 and Mercedes-Benz buses for Singapore Bus Service.SBS buys bus bodies Business Times 3 July 1980 page 2Contract awarded to New Zealand Motor Bodies Business Times 20 June 1981 page 5 In 1981 it began assembling Plaxton Supreme bodies delivered in CKD packs from England.NZ's first Plaxton Commercial Motor 8 August 1981
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