Maker’s finances may delay firetruck

By Staff
Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
The bankruptcy of one of the nation’s oldest manufacturers of emergency vehicles means delays for Hartselle’s long-awaited firetruck.
American LaFrance declared bankruptcy in late January. The Chapter 11 filing is being blamed on problems with inventory not declared as obsolete during its 2005 acquisition and what the company terms as “operational disruptions” caused by a change in computer systems.
Hartselle ordered its truck in early 2007 and expected delivery in late December 2007 or January. The contract gave 330 days for American LaFrance to deliver the truck.
Now, Mayor Dwight Tankersley said American LeFrance has said its new production schedule will be completed this month and production will restart in early March.
Tankersley said he’s optimistic American LeFrance will deliver on the truck. The worse-case scenario, he said, would be having to start over with another company, which, like the struggling American LeFrance, have a backlog of orders.
In a release from the company, American LeFrance said it opted for Chapter 11 to avoid being forced into involuntary bankruptcy “where the company has no input to its future and cannot protect its customers, dealers and employees.”
The company said it will issue new delivery dates based on its March 10 restart.