ATLANTA, Ga. -- Beginning this October, Bitzer US, a subsidiary of German manufacturer Bitzer Group, will assemble all F400 transit-style bus A/C compressors in Oakwood, Ga., for the North American bus markets.

The decision to move the assembly line from the Schkeuditz, Germany, plant to the Oakwood, Ga., facility was made due to the increasing popularity of the F400 in the North American commercial and school bus market. In the five-year history of the F400 compressor, more than 1,500 of these compressors have been installed in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with 15,000 implemented globally.

The F400 transit-style compressor was designed to provide a lightweight, compact alternative to the traditional dual automotive compressor systems in school and commercial buses. Because the F400 features the greater reliability expected of reciprocating piston compressors over swashplate automotive compressors it helps customers realize an increased return on investment on their A/C systems through lower life cycle costs, says Bitzer.

Bitzer has two manufacturing plants in the U.S., one near Atlanta that manufactures semi-hermetic reciprocating compressors, and a new plant in Syracuse, N.Y., that manufactures R410A scroll compressors for commercial air conditioning applications.