Drew Industries' Recent Acquisitions Expand Product Lines
October 01 2009 - 4:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Front Entry Doors for Manufactured Homes WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Oct. 1
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Drew Industries Incorporated (NYSE:DW), a
leading supplier of components for recreational vehicles (RV) and
manufactured homes, today announced that its wholly-owned
subsidiary Kinro purchased from Philips Products, Inc. certain
inventory and equipment used for the production of front entry
doors for manufactured homes. The $1 million transaction was funded
from available cash. "Not only will this acquisition increase the
overall Drew-supplied content per manufactured home, it also adds a
new product category for Drew," said Fred Zinn, Drew's President
and CEO. "We estimate that the current annual market for front
entry doors for newly produced manufactured homes is about $12
million to $15 million. In addition, we believe there is a similar
size market for replacement doors for the millions of existing
manufactured homes." Elkhart, Ind.-based Philips Products had made
windows and front entry doors for manufactured housing before
ceasing these operations in July 2009. Kinro, which already has a
significant market share in windows for manufactured homes, will
begin to manufacture entry doors at plants in Indiana and South
Carolina within approximately 30 days. "Because of our innovative
designs and product enhancements, we have had tremendous success
with our entry doors for RVs, which we introduced late last year,"
said Scott Mereness, Vice President of Kinro. "We plan to leverage
this experience, as well as the strong relationships we maintain
with producers of manufactured homes and aftermarket distributors,
to gain significant market share for entry doors in the
manufactured housing industry." Slide-out Storage Box for Pick-Up
Trucks Drew's wholly-owned subsidiary, Lippert Components, recently
acquired the rights to the patent-pending design for a tool box
containing a slide-out storage tray. This newly-designed product,
used in pick-up trucks, tow trucks and other mobile service
vehicles, will be produced at the Company's existing manufacturing
plants, with existing management, utilizing production techniques
with which the Company has extensive experience. The purchase price
was $400,000, plus a commission based on future sales of the
product during the next 6 years. "This is a great new product
design, and the initial response has been very encouraging," said
Jason Lippert, President and CEO of Drew's subsidiaries, Lippert
Components and Kinro. "Over the coming months, we intend to
aggressively develop this new market." "Both of these developments
are in line with our strategy of utilizing our financial strength
to seize opportunities to expand our product lines," said Zinn.
"With more than $45 million of cash and short-term investments, and
no debt, we have the resources to continue to pursue growth
opportunities. Based on current sales trends and our management of
working capital, we expect to continue to generate solid cash
flow." About Drew Drew, through its wholly owned subsidiaries,
Lippert Components and Kinro, supplies a broad array of components
for RVs and manufactured homes, including windows, doors, chassis,
chassis parts, bath and shower units, axles, and upholstered
furniture. In addition, the Company manufactures slide-out
mechanisms for RVs, and trailers primarily for hauling boats.
Currently, from 27 factories located throughout the United States,
Drew serves most major national manufacturers of RVs and
manufactured homes in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Additional information about Drew and its products can be found at
http://www.drewindustries.com/. Forward-Looking Statements This
press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
with respect to financial condition, results of operations,
business strategies, operating efficiencies or synergies,
competitive position, growth opportunities for existing products,
plans and objectives of management, markets for the Company's
Common Stock and other matters. Statements in this press release
that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" for
the purpose of the safe harbor provided by Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 27A of the Securities
Act of 1933. Forward-looking statements, including, without
limitation, those relating to our future business prospects,
revenues, expenses and income (loss), whenever they occur in this
press release are necessarily estimates reflecting the best
judgment of our senior management at the time such statements were
made, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by
forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to
update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or
events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are
made. You should consider forward-looking statements, therefore, in
light of various important factors, including those set forth in
this press release, and in our subsequent filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. There are a number of factors,
many of which are beyond the Company's control, which could cause
actual results and events to differ materially from those described
in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, in
addition to other matters described in this press release, pricing
pressures due to domestic and foreign competition, costs and
availability of raw materials (particularly steel and related
components, vinyl, aluminum, glass and ABS resin), availability of
credit for financing the retail and wholesale purchase of
manufactured homes and recreational vehicles, availability and
costs of labor, inventory levels of retailers and manufacturers,
levels of repossessed manufactured homes and RVs, the disposition
into the market by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
("FEMA"), by sale or otherwise, of RVs or manufactured homes
purchased by FEMA, changes in zoning regulations for manufactured
homes, sales declines in the RV or manufactured housing industries,
the financial condition of our customers, the financial condition
of retail dealers of RVs and manufactured homes, retention of
significant customers, interest rates, oil and gasoline prices, and
the outcome of litigation. In addition, national and regional
economic conditions and consumer confidence may affect the retail
sale of RVs and manufactured homes. DATASOURCE: Drew Industries
Incorporated CONTACT: Fred Zinn, President and CEO of Drew
Industries Incorporated, +1-914-428-9098, Fax: +1-914-428-4581, Web
Site: http://www.drewindustries.com/
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