FORT VALLEY, Ga. — Blue Bird Corp. will relocate production of its Micro Bird Type A bus from Brantford, Ontario, to Fort Valley. As a result, the Brantford manufacturing facility, Canadian Blue Bird Coach Ltd., will close Aug. 10.

Blue Bird officials called the move a "difficult decision." Tony Kerwin, general manager of Canadian Blue Bird Coach Ltd., said that the company would implement an employee assistance program to help its Canadian workforce.

"Our Canadian facility will finish its production in a manner that is consistent with the quality reputation it has earned," Kerwin said. "And in these difficult circumstances, Blue Bird is committed to dealing compassionately with our excellent employees."

For the past few years, the Brantford plant has been dedicated to the Micro Bird line, but the company has produced other bus products there since 1958.

The Micro Bird relocation will centralize all of Blue Bird's school bus line production in Georgia, which the company said would increase efficiency, particularly in resource allocation and parts sourcing.

The Micro Bird line will be adjacent to Blue Bird's main engineering center at its Fort Valley headquarters. At the same time, that facility's production of the Vision Type C bus will be expanded.

The company also runs a manufacturing facility in Lafayette, Ga.