The Financial Post reports in its Wednesday, June 25, edition that New Flyer Industries ($12.23) will begin manufacturing all its vehicles on a single platform in a move to cut costs one year after acquiring a competitor. The Post's Kristine Owram writes in the National Report column that New Flyer bought North American Bus Industries (NABI) for $80-million a year ago and has been reviewing whether to consolidate the brands or run them separately. The manufacturer, which makes buses for transit systems in Canada and the United States, said the move will cost it about $20-million in operating and capital expenditures. It expects that to be paid back through cost savings in two to three years. CIBC World Markets analyst Kevin Chiang says: "We view this initiative favourably as it removes the redundancies of operating NABI and New Flyer as two separate operating units. ... With New Flyer phasing out NABI's models, this could provide a lift for average bus margins moving forward." He added that he believes the bus maker's payout ratio will be approximately 68 per cent of free cash flow this year. New Flyer cautioned that jobs could be lost as it transitions its plant in Anniston, Ala., to the Xcelsior platform.