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SPAR
Spartan Motors, Inc.

5/25/2013, 4:35 AM ET
Quote & Headlines Market Currents StockTalk Description
Sector: Consumer Goods
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Country: United States

Spartan Motors, Inc. (the "Company") was organized as a Michigan corporation on September 18, 1975, and is headquartered in Charlotte, Michigan. The Company began development of its first product that same year and shipped its first fire truck chassis in October 1975.

The Company is known as a leading, niche market engineer and manufacturer in the heavy-duty, custom vehicles marketplace. The Company has four wholly owned subsidiaries: Spartan Motors Chassis, Inc., located at the corporate headquarters in Charlotte, Michigan ("Spartan Chassis"); Crimson Fire, Inc. located in Brandon, South Dakota ("Crimson"); Crimson Fire Aerials, Inc., located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania ("Crimson Aerials"); and Road Rescue, Inc., located in Marion, South Carolina ("Road Rescue").

Spartan Chassis is a leading designer, engineer and manufacturer of custom heavy-duty chassis. The chassis consist of a frame assembly, engine, transmission, electrical system, running gear (wheels, tires, axles, suspension and brakes) and, for fire trucks and some specialty chassis applications, a cab. Spartan Chassis customers are original equipment manufacturers ("OEMs") who complete their heavy-duty vehicle product by either mounting the body or apparatus on the Company's chassis or integrating the drive train with the armored body. Crimson and Road Rescue engineer and manufacture emergency vehicles built on chassis platforms purchased from either Spartan Chassis or outside sources. Crimson Aerials engineers and manufactures aerial ladder components for fire trucks.

The Company's business strategy is to further diversify product lines and develop innovative design, engineering and manufacturing expertise in order to be the best value producer of custom vehicle products. Spartan Chassis sells its custom chassis to three principal markets: fire truck, motorhome and other product sales which include specialty vehicles and service parts and accessories. Other product sales have grown in recent years reflecting increased sales from service, parts and accessories. The Company's diversification across several sectors gives numerous opportunities while minimizing overall risk. Additionally, the Company's business model provides the agility to quickly respond to market needs, take advantage of strategic opportunities when they arise and correctly size operations to ensure stability and growth.

The Company has an innovative team focused on building lasting relationships with its customers. This is accomplished by striving to deliver premium custom vehicles and services. The Company believes that it can best carry out its long-term business plan and obtain optimal financial flexibility by using a combination of borrowings under the Company's credit facilities, as well as internally or externally generated equity capital, as sources of expansion capital.

The Company's Segments

The Company is organized into two reportable segments, Spartan Chassis and the Emergency Vehicle Team ("EVTeam").

Spartan Chassis

Sales by Spartan Chassis represented 92.3%, 90.3% and 87.9% of the Company's consolidated sales for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively. Spartan Chassis has extensive engineering experience in creating chassis for vehicles that perform specialized tasks. Spartan Chassis engineers, manufactures and markets chassis for fire trucks, motorhomes and specialty applications such as military vehicles, trolleys, utility trucks and crash-rescue vehicles. Spartan Chassis manufactures chassis only upon receipt of confirmed purchase orders; thus, it does not have significant amounts of completed product inventory. As a specialized chassis producer, Spartan Chassis believes that it holds a unique position for continued growth due to its engineering reaction time, manufacturing expertise and flexibility. This allows Spartan Chassis to profitably manufacture custom chassis with a specialized design that will serve customer needs more efficiently and economically than a standard, commercially-produced chassis. Spartan Chassis markets its products throughout the U.S. and Canada. Spartan Chassis employed approximately 830 associates in Charlotte, Michigan as of February 28, 2009, of which approximately 795 were full-time. Of the full-time associates, 11 were contracted employees.

EVTeam

The Company's EVTeam consists of its three wholly owned subsidiaries, Crimson, Crimson Aerials and Road Rescue. Crimson and Road Rescue engineer and manufacture emergency vehicles built on chassis platforms purchased from either Spartan Chassis or outside sources. Crimson Aerials engineers and manufactures aerial ladder components for fire trucks. The EVTeam members manufacture products only upon receipt of confirmed purchase orders; thus they do not have significant amounts of completed product inventory. The EVTeam employed approximately 435 associates as of February 28, 2009 of which approximately 430 were full-time.

Associates

The Company and its subsidiaries employed 1,275 associates as of February 28, 2009, of which 1,237 were full-time. Included in the full-time counts are 26 contracted associates. Management presently considers its relations with associates to be positive.