Story detail · Midwest Bus Sales
Inventory Volatility & Carry-Cost Risk
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Post-COVID supply-chain swings mean Thomas Built deliveries can appear months early or late, leaving buses idle 6–12 months and accruing floor-plan interest. Excess, aging inventory ties up cash, risks markdowns, and pressures working capital. By the time the sales season arrives, "new" buses may already be a year old — creating a quality perception problem on top of the financial one.
Related force group
Thomas Built Bus delivery unpredictability forces MBS to hold aging inventory through off-season periods, accruing floor-plan interest and marking down buses that arrive as "year-old new."
Verbatims
“they may say you'll get this bus in eight months, and then it shows up in two months, and then we're just kind of stuck with it having to pay interest until we can actually turn it around”