Exhibit
99.1
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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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E
Mail: Drew@drewindustries.com
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DREW
ACQUIRES MANUFACTURER
OF
RV FURNITURE AND RELATED PRODUCTS
White
Plains, New York - July 1, 2008 - Drew Industries Incorporated (NYSE: DW) today
reported that its wholly owned subsidiary, Lippert Components, Inc. (“LCI”),
completed the previously announced acquisition of the assets and business of
Goshen, Indiana-based Seating Technology, Inc. and its affiliated companies
(“Seating Technology”). The purchase price of $28.4 million was funded from
available cash.
Seating
Technology manufactures a wide variety of products primarily for towable RVs,
including folding sofas for toy hauler RVs, a full line of upholstered
furniture, mattresses, decorative pillows, wood-backed valences and quilted
soft
good products. This acquisition adds an entirely new product line for Drew.
Seating
Technology’s sales for 2007 were approximately $40 million, reflecting
significant growth from its $11 million in sales in 2003. “We look to Seating
Technology to continue to gain market share, despite the difficult conditions
in
the RV industry,” said Leigh J. Abrams, Drew’s CEO. Drew expects the acquisition
of Seating Technology to be immediately accretive to earnings.
Rick
Finnigan, majority owner of the Seating Technology companies, entered into
a
three-year consulting contract, while Joel DeVries, Vice President of Seating
Technology entered into a three-year employment contract. DeVries will be
responsible for Seating Technology’s day-to-day operations, and will report to
Jason Lippert, LCI’s President and CEO.
“With
these new product lines, we expect to leverage our extensive marketing and
distribution capabilities to our existing customers, many of whom Seating
Technology does not presently sell to,” said Jason Lippert. “Seating Technology
currently operates from five factories, which LCI has leased, and is currently
solely a Midwest supplier to the towable RV industry. LCI will determine the
viability of using its nationwide factory network to expand the territorial
reach of Seating Technology’s manufacturing and marketing capabilities. In
addition, we also plan to explore other markets, such as RV motorhomes, and
the
manufactured housing and marine industries, in which Seating Technology products
may have a potential market.”
About
Drew
Drew,
through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Kinro and Lippert Components, 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, Drew manufactures slide-out mechanisms for RVs, and
trailers primarily for hauling boats. Currently, from 36 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 www.drewindustries.com.
Forward-Looking
Statements
This
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 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, 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
as
identified in this press release and in our Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2007, and in our subsequent Form 10-Qs filed with the SEC.
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
and recreational vehicles, 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, a sales decline in either
the RV or the manufactured housing industries, 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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