Exhibit
99.1
DREW
INDUSTRIES ACQUIRES MANUFACTURER OF
PATENTED
MOTORHOME STEPS
Drew’s
Lippert Components Subsidiary Acquires Coach Step; Expands Product Line of
RV
Steps
White
Plains, New York - May 22, 2007 - Drew Industries Incorporated (NYSE: DW) today
announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Lippert Components, acquired the
assets and business of Ft. Worth-based Coach Step, a manufacturer of patented
electric steps for motorhomes. The purchase price was approximately $3 million,
which Drew financed from its available cash.
“As
with
all of our acquisitions, we expect this to be immediately accretive to Drew’s
earnings,” said Leigh J. Abrams, Drew’s President and CEO.
Lippert
Components will continue to produce the Coach Step product in the seller’s Ft.
Worth facility for the next 60-90 days, and then shift production into one
of
Lippert’s existing facilities in Indiana. Once production begins in Indiana, the
Company expects to realize significant operating efficiencies and overhead
reductions on the manufacture of Coach Step’s products.
“Coach
Step’s products increase our presence in the motorhome market,” said Jason D.
Lippert, President and CEO of Lippert Components. “We believe the market for
electric steps for motorhomes is between $10 million and $15 million. Coach
Step
reported sales of approximately $2 million in 2006, and we expect to increase
sales by marketing these products to our existing customer base. The addition
of
Coach Step’s products expands Lippert’s product line of steps for both
motorhomes and towable RVs, allowing us to better serve our
customers.”
About
Drew:
Drew,
through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Kinro and Lippert Components, supplies
a
broad array of components for RVs and manufactured homes. Drew’s products
include vinyl and aluminum windows and screens, doors, chassis, chassis parts,
RV slide-out mechanisms and power units, leveling devices, bath and shower
units, axles, bed lifts, steps, electric stabilizer jacks, and suspension
systems, as well as trailers for hauling equipment, boats, personal watercraft
and snowmobiles, and chassis and windows for modular homes and offices.
Currently, from 42 factories located throughout the United States and one
factory in Canada, 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 www.drewindustries.com.
Forward-Looking
Statements
The
press
release may contain 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 the press release that are not historical facts
are
“forward-looking statements” for the purpose of the safe harbor provided by
Section 21E of the Exchange Act and Section 27A of the Securities Act.
Forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those relating to
the
Company’s future business prospects, revenues, expenses and income, wherever
they occur in this press release, are necessarily estimates reflecting the
best
judgment of the Company’s 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. Forward-looking statements, therefore, should be considered in light
of various important factors.
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 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 retail and wholesale financing for manufactured homes,
availability and costs of labor, inventory levels of retailers and
manufacturers, levels of repossessed manufactured homes, the disposition into
the market by FEMA by sale or otherwise of RVs or manufactured homes purchased
by FEMA in connection with natural disasters, changes in zoning regulations
for
manufactured homes, the decline in the manufactured housing industry, the
financial condition of our customers, retention of significant customers,
interest rates, oil and gasoline prices, the outcome of litigation, and adverse
weather conditions impacting retail sales. In addition, national and regional
economic conditions and consumer confidence may affect the retail sale of
recreational vehicles and manufactured homes.
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