The Utilimaster brand of The Shyft Group in Novi reports it has received orders for more than 3,000 units of its new Velocity-F2 delivery vehicles from multiple parcel delivery customers.
Production is scheduled to ramp up in February, with customers taking delivery beginning in March.
Velocity-F2 is a purpose-built, walk-in-van (WIV) designed for e-commerce-driven parcel delivery, as well as the broader commercial, retail, and service specialty vehicle markets.
The van was engineered with drivability, fuel efficiency and payload capacity in mind, according to Utilimaster. Its proprietary design, the company says, resulted from decades of engineering and ergonomics studies conducted to improve the efficiency and usability of walk-in vans and cargo van upfits for vocational fleets operating in the parcel, linen, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and grocery delivery segments.
“Our parcel delivery customers continue to operate at near capacity, based on expanding consumer interest in e-commerce shopping and delivered goods and services,” says Daryl Adams, president and CEO of The Shyft Group. “We designed the Velocity to meet an unprecedented demand for last-mile delivery and are pleased to provide an innovative solution that meets our customers immediate and future needs.”
The Shyft Group says its national geographic footprint — with manufacturing facilities spanning 10 states, in addition to its facility in Mexico — gives the company’s brands regional manufacturing and ship-thru convenience across the full product array spanning Class 1 through Class 7 purpose-built vehicles.
In related news, The Shyft Group is ramping up hiring at its Charlotte campus (southwest of Lansing) with plans to add hundreds of new jobs to help the commercial fleet and specialty vehicle manufacturer meet fleet vehicle demand in 2021.
Shyft’s expansion project will bring an influx of new individuals, families, and economic activity to Charlotte and the surrounding Lansing region, including new students in K-12 schools, revenue for municipal services, shoppers to downtown retailers, new neighbors and homeowners and additional philanthropic giving to support community needs.
“The Shyft Group has a long-standing history in Charlotte as it has served as our home base for more than 40 years,” says Adams. “Today, we have plants all over the country in which we build last-mile delivery vehicles. We choose to reinvest in Charlotte as a declaration of our commitment to our existing campus, this region, and our highly skilled workforce.”
To learn more about job opportunities with The Shyft Group, visit here.
