The Company is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies. The Company began business in 1917 and was among the early pioneers of four-wheel drive technology. The Company currently operates in four business segments: defense, access equipment, fire & emergency and commercial, which comprised 49%, 20%, 21% and 10%, respectively, of the Company’s consolidated net sales during fiscal 2009.
The Company’s defense segment has sold products to the U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”) for over 80 years. In 1981, Oshkosh was awarded the first Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (“HEMTT”) contract for the DoD, and quickly its defense segment developed into the DoD’s leading supplier of severe-duty, heavy-payload tactical trucks. In recent years, the Company has broadened its defense product offerings to become the leading manufacturer of severe-duty, heavy- and medium-payload tactical trucks for the DoD, manufacturing vehicles that perform a variety of demanding tasks such as hauling tanks, missile systems, ammunition, fuel and cargo for combat units.
In June 2009, the DoD awarded the Company a sole source contract for 2,244 MRAP All Terrain Vehicles (“M-ATVs”) and associated aftermarket parts packages, valued at $1.06 billion. Through November 18, 2009, the DoD awarded the Company an additional 3,975 M-ATVs and associated aftermarket parts packages, valued at $2.23 billion. Unit deliveries under the contract are scheduled through April 2010, with aftermarket parts packages to be delivered through May 2010. Key attributes of the M-ATV include superior survivability and mobility required for the current conflict in Afghanistan. The M-ATV represents the Company’s first major entry into the market for vehicles used in small unit combat operations.
In August 2009, the DoD awarded the Company a contract valued at $280.9 million for the production and delivery of 2,571 trucks and trailers under the U.S. Army’s Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (“FMTV”) Rebuy program. The FMTV Rebuy program is a five-year requirements contract award for the production of up to 23,000 medium-payload tactical vehicles and trailers as well as support services and engineering. Competitors have filed protests with the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) regarding the award of the FMTV contract, and the DoD has issued a stop work order on the FMTV program pending resolution of the protests. The Company expects the GAO to issue its decision on the protests in December 2009.
In fiscal 2009, the Company received orders totaling $195 million to retrofit approximately 2,400 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (“MRAP”) vehicles originally manufactured by other companies for the DoD with the Company’s patented TAK-4 independent suspension system. The Company is actively supporting the engineering and testing for retrofit installation of TAK-4 under other MRAP models that could lead to additional TAK-4 sales in the future. The existing MRAP fleet maintained by the U.S. military consists of over 16,000 vehicles.
The Company’s access equipment segment manufactures aerial work platforms and telehandlers used in a wide variety of construction, agricultural, industrial, institutional and general maintenance applications to position workers and materials at elevated heights. Access equipment customers include equipment rental companies, construction contractors, manufacturing companies, home improvement centers and the U.S. military.
The Company’s fire & emergency segment manufactures commercial and custom firefighting vehicles and equipment, aircraft rescue and firefighting (“ARFF”) vehicles, snow removal vehicles, ambulances, wreckers, carriers and other emergency vehicles primarily sold to fire departments, airports, other governmental units and towing companies in the U.S. and abroad; mobile medical trailers sold to hospitals and third-party medical service providers in the U.S., Europe and a growing number of other regions; and broadcast vehicles sold to broadcasters and television stations in North America and abroad. In October 2009, the Company sold its 75% interest in its European fire apparatus business, BAI.
The Company’s commercial segment manufactures rear- and front-discharge concrete mixers, refuse collection vehicles, portable and stationary concrete batch plants and vehicle components sold to ready-mix companies and commercial and municipal waste haulers in North America and other international markets and field service vehicles and truck-mounted cranes sold to mining, construction and other companies in the U.S. and abroad. On July 1, 2009, the Company completed
Competitive Strengths
Strong Market Positions. The Company has developed strong market positions and brand recognition in its core businesses, which it attributes to its reputation for quality products, advanced engineering, innovation, vehicle performance, reliability, customer service and low total product life cycle costs. The Company maintains leading market shares in most of its businesses and is the sole-source supplier of a number of vehicles to the DoD, including M-ATVs.
Diversified Product Offering. The Company believes its broad product offerings and target markets serve to diversify its sources of revenues, mitigate the impact of economic cycles and provide multiple platforms for potential internal growth and acquisitions. For each of its target markets, the Company has developed or acquired a broad product line in an effort to become a single-source provider of specialty vehicles, vehicle bodies, parts and service and related products to its customers. In addition, the Company has established an extensive domestic and international distribution system for specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies tailored to each market.
Quality Products and Customer Service. The Company has developed strong brand recognition among its products as a result of its commitment to meet the stringent product quality and reliability requirements of its customers and the specialty vehicle and vehicle body markets it serves. The Company also achieves high quality customer service through its extensive parts and service support programs, which are available to domestic customers 365 days a year in all product lines throughout the Company’s distribution systems.
Innovative and Proprietary Components. The Company’s advanced design and engineering capabilities have contributed to the development of innovative and/or proprietary, severe-duty components that enhance vehicle performance, reduce manufacturing costs and strengthen customer relationships. The Company’s advanced design and engineering capabilities have also allowed it to integrate many of these components across various product lines, which enhances its ability to compete for new business and reduces its costs to manufacture its products compared to manufacturers who simply assemble purchased components. Examples of the Company’s innovative components include:
The TAK-4 independent suspension system, which the Company is able to install on other manufacturers’ MRAP vehicles and which the Company believes was critical to the Company winning the M-ATV contract;
The Pierce Ultimate Configuration (“PUC”) vehicle configuration, which eliminates the bulky pumphouse from firefighting vehicles, making such vehicles easier to use and service;
McNeilus compressed natural gas-powered refuse collection vehicles, which reduce fuel costs and emissions; and
ClearSky telematics solution for JLG aerial work platforms, which remotely connects a rental fleet, providing information on location, operating status and equipment health.
Flexible and Efficient Manufacturing. Over the past 13 years, the Company has significantly increased manufacturing efficiencies. The Company believes it has competitive advantages over larger vehicle manufacturers in its specialty vehicle markets due to its manufacturing flexibility, vertical integration, purchasing power in specialty vehicle components and custom fabrication capabilities. In addition, the Company believes it has competitive advantages over smaller vehicle and vehicle body manufacturers due to its relatively higher volumes of similar products that permit the use of moving assembly lines and which allow it to leverage purchasing power opportunities across product lines. The Company believes its plan to meet the aggressive delivery requirements for M-ATVs under the recently awarded DoD contract is an example of its robust manufacturing capability. In addition to the Company’s existing defense truck manufacturing facilities in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the Company is assembling M-ATV crew capsules and complete M-ATVs at its JLG manufacturing facility in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania.
Strong Management Team. The Company is led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Robert G. Bohn, and President and Chief Operating Officer, Charles L. Szews, who have been employed by the Company since 1992 and 1996, respectively. Messrs. Bohn and Szews are complemented by an experienced senior management team that has been assembled through internal promotions, new hires and acquisitions. The management team has successfully executed a strategic reshaping and expansion of its business since 1996, which has positioned the Company to significantly improve its financial and operating performance.
Business Strategy
The Company is focused on increasing its net sales, profitability and cash flow and strengthening its balance sheet by capitalizing on its competitive strengths and pursuing a comprehensive, integrated business strategy. Key elements of the Company’s business strategy include:
Pursuing Global Growth and Profitability. The Company plans to continue its focus on those specialty vehicle and vehicle body markets where it has or can acquire strong market positions over time and where it believes it can leverage synergies in purchasing, manufacturing, technology and distribution to increase sales and profitability. As it focuses in the near-term on ramping up production to meet the delivery requirements of the recently awarded M-ATV and TAK-4 independent suspension contracts, the Company will continue to pursue follow-on orders and additional contracts from its largest customer, the DoD. Business development teams actively pursue new customers, including those in adjacent markets. In addition, the Company believes that opportunities exist to develop or increase distribution of its products, particularly in the access equipment segment, in global markets including developing countries in Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. After it accomplishes its plan to significantly reduce debt, the Company intends to selectively pursue strategic acquisitions, both domestically and internationally, to enhance the Company’s product offerings and expand its international presence in specialty vehicle and vehicle body markets.
Introducing New Products. The Company intends to maintain its emphasis on new product development as it seeks to expand sales by leading its core markets in the introduction of new or improved products and new technologies, through internal development, strategic acquisitions or licensing of technology. The Company actively seeks to commercialize emerging technologies that are capable of expanding customer uses of its products.
Providing Superior Quality and Service to Each Market. The Company generally sells premium product lines in each of its markets and seeks to provide superior quality and service in each market to sustain its premium product positioning. In times of weak economic conditions, the Company believes that providing superior quality and service is even more important as customers look to partner with suppliers they know will be there to help them through tough conditions. Each of the Company’s businesses maintains active programs involving customer outreach, design and manufacturing quality and supplier certification to assure superior product quality.
Focusing on Lean Operations. The Company seeks to deliver high performance products to customers at both low total product life cycle costs and low acquisition prices. Historically, the Company has utilized teams of industrial engineers and procurement specialists to re-engineer manufacturing processes and leverage purchasing volumes to meet these objectives. The Company also utilizes a comprehensive, lean enterprise focus to continue its drive to be a low cost producer in all of its product lines and to deliver low product life cycle costs for its customers. Lean is a methodology to eliminate non-value added work from a process stream. During the last few years, the Company has implemented this strategy by:
Combining the Company’s strategic purchasing teams globally into a single organization led by an externally recruited chief procurement officer to capture its full purchasing power across its businesses and to promote low cost country sourcing;
Creating chartered cost reduction teams at all businesses and introducing broad-based training programs;
Creating a new global manufacturing team to further promote quality and lean initiatives; and
Launching the Oshkosh Operating System to create common practices across the Company to enhance its performance.
As a result of this focus, the Company expects to reduce product costs, manufacturing lead times and new product development cycle times over the next several years.
Focusing on Cost Management and Debt Reduction. In light of significantly lower demand in certain of the Company’s businesses as a result of the global recession, fluctuating steel and other costs, and its significant leverage, the Company plans to continue to focus on cost management and reduction as well as generating cash for debt reduction. In late fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2009, the Company quickly and proactively took actions, including reducing its global workforce by approximately 20% and cutting discretionary spending, which resulted in significant overhead and operating cost reductions. The Company expects to continue to focus on cost reduction initiatives in fiscal 2010 to reduce its cost structure and accelerate debt reduction, even as the Company is currently adding to its workforce to appropriately staff for the M-ATV contract. The Company has also focused significant attention on reducing working capital to free up cash for debt reduction, primarily through tighter controls over production and inventory reduction programs.
Products
The Company is focused on the following core segments of the specialty vehicle and vehicle body markets:
Defense Segment. The Company has sold products to the DoD for over 80 years. By successfully responding to the DoD’s changing vehicle requirements, the Company has become the leading manufacturer of severe-duty, heavy- and medium-payload tactical trucks for the DoD. The Company manufactures vehicles that perform a variety of demanding tasks such as hauling tanks, missile systems, ammunition, fuel and cargo for combat units. The Company’s proprietary military all-wheel drive product line of heavy-payload tactical trucks includes the HEMTT, the Heavy Equipment Transporter (“HET”), the Palletized Load System (“PLS”), the Common Bridge Transporter and the Logistic Vehicle System Replacement (“LVSR”). The Company’s proprietary military medium-payload tactical trucks include the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (“MTVR”), and the Medium Tactical Truck (“MTT”), a line of lower-cost, severe-duty, medium-payload tactical trucks suitable for less demanding requirements than the MTVR. The Company also exports severe-duty, heavy- and medium-payload tactical trucks to approved foreign customers.
In May 2006, the DoD awarded the Company a production contract for the LVSR vehicle and associated manuals, vehicle kits, test support and training for the U.S. Marine Corps. The Company estimates that this fixed-price indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (“ID/IQ”) contract will approximate $740.2 million based on a production quantity of 1,592 units over a six-year period. The contract allows for the purchase of up to 1,900 cargo, wrecker and fifth-wheel LVSR variants. The Company delivered the first units under the contract in fiscal 2007.
In October 2008, the DoD awarded the Company a three-year, firm, fixed-priced requirements contract for the continued production of the Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles (“FHTV”). To date, the Company has received orders totaling $3.1 billion under this contract. The contract includes the production of the HEMTT, HEMTT-ESP, PLS and PLS Trailer as well as associated logistics and configuration management support.
In June 2009, the DoD awarded the Company a sole source contract for 2,244 M-ATVs and associated aftermarket parts packages, valued at $1.06 billion. Through November 18, 2009, the DoD awarded the Company an additional 3,975 M-ATVs and associated aftermarket parts packages, valued at $2.23 billion. Unit deliveries under the contract are scheduled through April 2010, with aftermarket parts packages to be delivered through May 2010. Key attributes of the M-ATV include superior survivability and mobility required for the current conflict in Afghanistan. The M-ATV represents the Company’s first major entry into the market for vehicles used in small unit combat operations, which presents an opportunity to broaden and strengthen the Company’s defense business.
In August 2009, the DoD awarded the Company a contract valued at $280.9 million for the production and delivery of 2,571 trucks and trailers under the U.S. Army’s FMTV Rebuy program. The FMTV Rebuy program is a five-year requirements contract award for the production of up to 23,000 vehicles and trailers as well as support services and engineering. Competitors have filed protests with the GAO regarding the award of the FMTV contract, and the DoD has issued a stop work order on the FMTV program pending resolution of the protests. The Company expects the GAO to issue its decision on the protests in December 2009. The Company believes the U.S. Army conducted a fair and objective source selection process and believes that the contract award to the Company should be upheld. This contract would represent a significant expansion of the Company’s medium-payload tactical truck business.
In fiscal 2009, the Company received orders totaling $195 million to retrofit approximately 2,400 MRAP vehicles originally manufactured by other companies for the DoD with the Company’s patented TAK-4 independent suspension system. The Company is actively supporting the engineering and testing for retrofit installation of TAK-4 under other
MRAP models that could lead to additional TAK-4 sales in the future. The existing MRAP fleet maintained by the U.S. military consists of over 16,000 vehicles.
The Company’s objective is to continue to diversify into other areas of the U.S. and international defense truck markets by expanding applications, uses, and vehicle body styles of its current tactical truck lines. As the Company enters tactical truck competitions in the defense market segment, the Company believes it has multiple competitive advantages, including: Truck engineering and testing. DoD and international truck contract competitions require significant defense truck engineering expertise to ensure that a company’s truck excels under demanding test conditions. The Company has a team of engineers and draftsmen and engages contract engineers to support current business and truck contract competitions. These personnel have significant expertise designing new trucks, using sophisticated computer-aided tools, supporting grueling testing programs at test sites and submitting detailed, comprehensive, successful contract proposals.
Proprietary components. The Company’s patented TAK-4 independent suspension and proprietary transfer case enhance its trucks’ off-road performance. In addition, because these are two of the higher cost components in a truck, the Company has a competitive cost-advantage based on the in-house manufacturing of these two truck components. The Company’s Command Zone tool also simplifies maintenance troubleshooting.
Past performance. The Company has been building trucks for the DoD for over 80 years. The Company believes that its past success in delivering reliable, high quality trucks on time, within budget and meeting specifications is a competitive advantage in future defense truck procurement programs. The Company understands the special contract procedures used by the DoD and other foreign militaries and has developed substantial expertise in contract management and accounting.
Flexible manufacturing. The Company’s ability to produce a variety of truck models on the same moving assembly line permits it to avoid facilitation costs on most new contracts and maintain competitive manufacturing efficiencies. In addition, the Company is able to leverage its global manufacturing scale to supplement its existing defense truck manufacturing facilities in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The Company’s decision to co-locate M-ATV production at its JLG manufacturing facility in McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania provided the Company a competitive advantage.
Logistics. The Company has gained significant experience in the development of operators’ manuals and training and in the delivery of parts and services worldwide in accordance with the DoD’s expectations, which differ materially from commercial practices. The Company has logistics capabilities to permit the DoD to order parts, receive invoices and remit payments electronically.
Access Equipment Segment. The access equipment segment manufactures aerial work platforms and telehandlers used in a wide variety of construction, agricultural, industrial, institutional and general maintenance applications to position workers and materials at elevated heights. JLG has recently introduced new products such as the LiftPod personal aerial work platform and the ClearSky telematics solution for use by rental companies in managing access equipment fleets. In addition, JLG entered into a 20-year license to produce Caterpillar-branded telehandlers through 2025 for distribution through the worldwide Caterpillar Inc. dealer network.
Access equipment customers include equipment rental companies, construction contractors, manufacturing companies, home improvement centers and the U.S. military. JLG’s products are marketed in over 3,500 locations worldwide through independent rental companies and distributors that purchase these products and then rent or sell them and provide service support, as well as through other sales and service branches or organizations in which the Company holds equity positions.
JLG, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Access Financial Solutions, Inc., also arranges equipment financing and leasing solutions for its customers, primarily through private-label arrangements with independent third-party financial companies, and provides credit support in connection with these financing and leasing arrangements. Financing arrangements that JLG offers or arranges through this segment include installment sale contracts, capital leases, operating leases and rental purchase guarantees. Terms of these arrangements vary depending on the type of transaction, but typically range between 36 and 72 months and generally require the customer to be responsible for insurance, taxes and maintenance of the equipment, and to bear the risk of damage to or loss of the equipment.
Fire & Emergency Segment. Through Pierce, the Company is a leading domestic manufacturer of fire apparatus assembled on custom chassis, designed and manufactured by Pierce to meet the special needs of firefighters. Pierce also manufactures fire apparatus assembled on commercially available chassis, which are produced for multiple end-customer applications. Pierce’s engineering expertise allows it to design its vehicles to meet stringent industry guidelines and government regulations for safety and effectiveness. Pierce primarily serves domestic municipal customers, but also sells fire apparatus to the DoD, airports, universities and large industrial companies, and in international markets. Pierce’s history of innovation and research and development in consultation with firefighters has resulted in a broad product line that features a wide range of innovative, high-quality custom and commercial firefighting equipment with advanced fire suppression capabilities. In an effort to be a single-source supplier for its customers, Pierce offers a full line of custom and commercial fire apparatus and emergency vehicles, including pumpers, aerial and ladder trucks, tankers, light-, medium- and heavy-duty rescue vehicles, wildland rough terrain response vehicles, mobile command and control centers, bomb squad vehicles, hazardous materials control vehicles and other emergency response vehicles.
The Company, through its Oshkosh brand, is among the leaders in sales of ARFF vehicles to domestic and international airports. These highly specialized vehicles are required to be in service at most airports worldwide to support commercial airlines in the event of an emergency. Many of the world’s largest airports, including LaGuardia International Airport, O’Hare International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in the U.S. and airports located in Montreal and Toronto, Canada; and Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing, China, are served by the Company’s ARFF vehicles. The Company believes that the performance and reliability of its ARFF vehicles contribute to the Company’s strong position in this market.
The Company, through its Oshkosh brand, is a global leader in airport snow removal vehicles. The Company’s specially designed airport snow removal vehicles can cast up to 5,000 tons of snow per hour and are used by some of the largest airports in the world, including Denver International Airport, LaGuardia International Airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and O’Hare International Airport in the U.S. and Beijing, China, Montreal, Canada and St. Petersburg, Russia internationally. The Company believes that the reliability of its high performance snow removal vehicles and the speed with which they clear airport runways contribute to its strong position in this market.
Through JerrDan, the Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of towing and recovery equipment in the U.S. The Company believes JerrDan is recognized as an industry leader in quality and innovation. JerrDan offers a complete line of both roll-back carriers (“carriers”) and traditional tow trucks (“wreckers”). In addition to manufacturing equipment, JerrDan provides its customers with one-stop service for carriers and wreckers and generates revenue from the installation of equipment, as well as the sale of chassis and service parts.
Through Medtec, the Company is one of the leading U.S. manufacturers of custom ambulances for private and public transporters and fire departments. Medtec markets a full line of ambulances including smaller Type II van style ambulances, larger Type I and Type III ambulances, as well as large “Additional Duty” ambulances. Type I ambulances feature a conventional style, light- or medium-duty chassis with a modular patient transport body mounted separately behind the vehicle cab. Type II ambulances are smaller van style ambulance units typically targeted to value conscious and transport ambulance services. Type III ambulances are built on light-duty van chassis with a walk-through opening into the patient transport body which is mounted behind the vehicle cab.
Through OSV, the Company is one of the leaders in the manufacturing of mobile medical vehicles for North American and European medical centers and service providers. OSV is the only mobile medical vehicle manufacturer certified by all major original equipment manufacturers of medical diagnostic imaging equipment - General Electric Company, Royal Philips Electronics and Siemens AG. OSV is also a leading manufacturer, system designer and integrator of custom vehicles for the broadcast industry, where the Company, under its Frontline brand, markets a full line of television broadcast, satellite news gathering and microwave transmission electronic news gathering vehicles to broadcasters, TV stations, broadcast production, radio stations and NASA. OSV also manufactures mobile command and control centers and simulation units for sale to police, fire and other government agencies in the U.S.
The Company offers three- to fifteen-year municipal lease financing programs to its fire & emergency segment customers in the U.S. through Oshkosh Equipment Finance, L.L.C., doing business as Oshkosh Capital (“Oshkosh Capital”). Programs include competitive lease financing rates, creative and flexible finance arrangements and the ease of one-stop shopping for customers’ equipment and financing. The lease financing transactions are executed through a private label arrangement with an independent third-party finance company.
Commercial Segment. Through McNeilus, the Company is a leading North American manufacturer of refuse collection vehicles for the waste services industry. Through Oshkosh, McNeilus, London and CON-E-CO, the Company is a leading manufacturer of front- and rear-discharge concrete mixers and portable and stationary concrete batch plants for the concrete ready-mix industry throughout the Americas. Through IMT, the Company is a leading North American manufacturer of field service vehicles and truck-mounted cranes for the construction, equipment dealer, building supply, utility, tire service and mining industries. The Company believes its commercial segment vehicles and equipment have a reputation for efficient, cost-effective, dependable and low maintenance operation.
In March 2002, the Company introduced the rear-discharge Revolution concrete mixer drum, which is constructed of lightweight composite materials. In fiscal 2006, the Company launched the sale of front-discharge Revolution drums. Since the introduction of the first concrete mixer drum about 90 years ago, the Company believes all commercially successful drums worldwide had been produced utilizing steel until the launch of the Revolution. The Revolution drum offers improved concrete payload on a vehicle and longer drum life, which lowers the cost per yard of concrete delivered. The Company’s strategy has been to sell the Revolution drum as a premium-priced product as the Company believes the Revolution drum yields a quick payback to customers through increased productivity and lower operating costs. The Company is required to pay to its Australian partner royalty fees for each drum sold. The Company believes that the Revolution mixer drum will create an important competitive advantage over competitors that manufacture steel concrete mixer drums during the next economic upturn.
The Company, through Oshkosh/McNeilus Financial Services Partnership (“OMFSP”), an affiliated financial services partnership, offers three- to seven-year tax advantaged lease financing to concrete mixer customers, concrete batch plant customers and commercial waste haulers in the U.S. Offerings include competitive lease financing rates and the ease of one-stop shopping for customers’ equipment and financing.
Marketing, Sales, Distribution and Service
The Company believes it differentiates itself from many of its competitors by tailoring its distribution to the needs of its specialty vehicle and vehicle body markets and with its national and global sales and service capabilities. Distribution personnel show customers how to use the Company’s vehicles and vehicle bodies properly. In addition, the Company’s flexible distribution is focused on meeting customers on their terms, whether on a job site, in an evening public meeting or at a municipality’s offices, compared to the showroom sales approach of the typical dealers of large vehicle manufacturers. The Company backs all products with same-day parts shipment, and its service technicians are available in person or by telephone to domestic customers 365 days a year. The Company believes its dedication to keeping its products in-service in demanding conditions worldwide has contributed to customer loyalty.
The Company provides its salespeople, representatives and distributors with product and sales training on the operation and specifications of its products. The Company’s engineers, along with its product managers, develop operating manuals and provide field support at vehicle delivery.
U.S. dealers and representatives enter into agreements with the Company that allow for termination by either party generally upon 90 days notice. Dealers and representatives, except for those utilized by JLG, JerrDan, Medtec and IMT, are generally not permitted to market and sell competitive products.
Defense Segment. The Company sells substantially all of its domestic defense products directly to principal branches of the DoD. The Company maintains a liaison office in Washington, D.C. to represent its interests with the Pentagon, Congress and the offices of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government and other national government agencies. The Company also sells and services defense products to approved foreign governments directly through a limited number of international sales offices, through dealers, consultants and representatives and through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (“FMS”) program.
The Company maintains a business development staff and engages consultants to regularly meet with all branches of the Armed Services, Reserves and National Guard, with representatives of key military bases and with other defense contractors to determine their vehicle requirements and identify specialty truck variants and apparatus required to fulfill their missions.
In addition to marketing its current truck offerings and competing for new contracts in the heavy- and medium-payload segment, the Company actively works with the Armed Services to develop new applications for its vehicles and expand its services.
Logistics services are increasingly important to the DoD, especially following the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The Company believes that its proven worldwide logistics capabilities and internet-based ordering, invoicing and electronic payment systems have significantly contributed to the expansion of its defense parts and service business since fiscal 2002, following the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The Company maintains a large parts distribution warehouse network in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to fulfill stringent parts delivery schedule requirements, as well as satellite facilities near DoD bases in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The Company has been particularly active in recent years performing maintenance and armoring services for the DoD at areas near, or in the theater of military conflicts.
Access Equipment Segment. JLG’s products are marketed in over 3,500 locations worldwide through independent rental companies and distributors that purchase JLG products and then rent or sell them and provide service support, as well as through other sales and service branches or organizations in which the Company holds equity positions. North American customers are located in all 50 states in the U.S., as well as in Canada and Mexico. International customers are located in Europe, the Asia/Pacific region, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. JLG’s sales force is comprised of approximately 100 employees worldwide. In North America, teams of sales employees are dedicated to specific major customers, channels or geographic regions. JLG’s sales employees in Europe and the rest of the world are spread among JLG’s approximately 20 international sales and service offices.
Fire & Emergency Segment. The Company believes the geographic breadth, size and quality of its Pierce fire apparatus sales and service organization are competitive advantages in a market characterized by a few large manufacturers and numerous small, regional competitors. Pierce’s fire apparatus are sold through over 30 independent sales and service organizations with more than 275 sales representatives in the U.S., which combine broad geographical reach with frequency of contact with fire departments and municipal government officials. These sales and service organizations are supported by approximately 75 product and marketing support professionals and contract administrators at Pierce. The Company believes frequency of contact and local presence are important to cultivate major, and typically infrequent, purchases involving the city or town council, fire department, purchasing, finance and mayoral offices, among others, that may participate in a fire apparatus bid and selection. After the sale, Pierce’s nationwide local parts and service capability is available to help municipalities maintain peak readiness for this vital municipal service.
The Company markets its Oshkosh-branded ARFF vehicles through a combination of five direct sales representatives domestically and 30 representatives and distributors in international markets. Certain of these international representatives and distributors also handle Pierce products. The Company has 30 full-time sales and service representatives and 20 distributor locations focused on the sale of snow removal vehicles, principally to airports, but also to municipalities, counties and other governmental entities in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, the Company maintains offices in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Beijing, China to support airport product vehicle sales in the Middle East, China and Southeast Asia.
Medtec sells ambulances through more than 20 independent distributor organizations with over 70 representatives focused on sales to the ambulance market. JerrDan markets its carriers and wreckers through its worldwide network of approximately 75 independent distributors, supported by JerrDan’s direct sales force. OSV markets its mobile medical trailers and broadcast vehicles through 20 in-house sales and service representatives in the U.S. and three in-house sales and service representatives in Europe.
Commercial Segment. The Company operates 20 distribution centers with over 150 in-house sales and service representatives in the U.S. to sell and service refuse collection vehicles, rear- and front-discharge concrete mixers and concrete batch plants. These centers are in addition to sales and service activities at the Company’s manufacturing facilities, and they provide sales, service and parts distribution to customers in their geographic regions. Three of the distribution centers also have paint facilities and can provide significant additional paint and mounting services during peak demand periods. The Company also uses over 30 independent sales and service organizations to market its CON-E-CO branded concrete batch plants. The Company believes this network represents one of the largest concrete mixer, concrete batch plant and refuse collection vehicle distribution networks in the U.S.
In Canada, the Company operates two distribution centers with eight outside and in-house sales and service representatives to sell and service its rear-discharge concrete mixers, refuse collection vehicles and concrete batch plants.
The Company believes its direct distribution to customers is a competitive advantage in concrete mixer and refuse collection vehicle markets, particularly in the U.S. waste services industry where principal competitors distribute through dealers, and to a lesser extent in the ready mix concrete industry, where several competitors and the Company in part use dealers. The Company believes direct distribution permits a more focused sales force in the U.S. concrete mixer and refuse collection vehicle markets, whereas dealers frequently offer a very broad and mixed product line, and accordingly, the time dealers tend to devote to concrete mixer and refuse collection vehicle sales activities is limited.
With respect to distribution, the Company has been applying Oshkosh’s and Pierce’s sales and marketing expertise in municipal markets to increase sales of McNeilus refuse collection vehicles to municipal customers. While the Company believes commercial customers represent a majority of the refuse collection vehicle market, many municipalities purchase their own refuse collection vehicles. The Company believes it is positioned to create an effective municipal distribution system in the refuse collection vehicle market by leveraging its existing commercial distribution capabilities and by opening service centers in major metropolitan markets. During fiscal 2009, the Company received its first order for refuse collection vehicles from the city of New York, which the Company believes has the largest municipal refuse collection vehicle fleet in the U.S.
The Company also has established an extensive network of representatives and dealers throughout the Americas for the sale of Oshkosh, McNeilus, CON-E-CO and London concrete mixers, concrete batch plants and refuse collection vehicles. The Company coordinates among its various businesses to respond to large international tenders with its most appropriate product offering for the tender.
IMT distributes its products through approximately 100 dealers with a total of 110 locations worldwide, including approximately 30 international dealers. International dealers are primarily located in Central and South America, Australia and Asia and are primarily focused on mining and construction markets. The Company believes this network represents one of the most extensive networks in its market.
Manufacturing
As of November 18, 2009, the Company manufactures vehicles and vehicle bodies at 51 manufacturing facilities. To reduce production costs, the Company maintains a continuing emphasis on the development of proprietary components, self-sufficiency in fabrication, just-in-time inventory management, improvement in production flows, interchangeability and simplification of components among product lines, creation of jigs and fixtures to ensure repeatability of quality processes, utilization of robotics, and performance measurement to assure progress toward cost reduction targets. The Company encourages employee involvement to improve production processes and product quality. The Company is in the process of adopting lean manufacturing management practices across all facilities.
The Company educates and trains all employees at its facilities in quality principles. The Company encourages employees at all levels of the Company to understand customer and supplier requirements, measure performance, develop systems and procedures to prevent nonconformance with requirements and produce continuous improvement in all work processes. ISO 9001 is a set of internationally accepted quality requirements established by the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 9001 certification indicates that a company has established and follows a rigorous set of requirements aimed at achieving customer satisfaction by preventing nonconformity in design, development, production, installation and servicing of products. Most of the Company’s facilities are ISO 9001 certified.
Engineering, Research and Development
The Company believes its extensive engineering, research and development capabilities have been key drivers of the Company’s marketplace success. The Company maintains five facilities for new product development and testing with a staff of approximately 260 engineers and technicians who are dedicated to improving existing products and development and testing of new vehicles, vehicle bodies and components. The Company prepares annual new product development plans for each of its markets and measures progress against those plans each month.
Virtually all of the Company’s sales of fire apparatus, broadcast vehicles and mobile medical trailers require some custom engineering to meet the customer’s specifications and changing industry standards. Engineering is also a critical factor in defense vehicle markets due to the severe operating conditions under which the Company’s vehicles are utilized, new customer requirements and stringent government documentation requirements. In the access equipment and commercial segments, product innovation is highly important to meet customers’ changing requirements. Accordingly, in addition to new product development engineers and technicians, the Company maintains a permanent staff of over 400 engineers and engineering technicians, and it regularly outsources some engineering activities in connection with new product development projects.
For fiscal 2009, 2008 and 2007, the Company incurred engineering, research and development expenditures of $73.3 million, $90.1 million and $73.5 million, respectively, portions of which were recoverable from customers, principally the U.S. government.