Bus manufacturer closes Arkansas plant, moves work to Tulsa

School-bus maker IC Corp. announced last week it will close its Arkansas assembly plant and move the work to its factory in Tulsa.

A company spokesman told the Tulsa World the economic downturn and tighter budgets at school districts across the nation have forced the change. IC Corp. chose to keep the Tulsa factory open because it is newer, having started operations in 2000, and moving to one assembly facility will help cut duplication. The newer technology in Tulsa will also make production more efficient.

The closure in Arkansas affects up to 477 employees; some of those jobs could eventually be moved to Tulsa.

The Tulsa plant currently has 1,000 employees who assemble more than 10,000 buses each year.