Drew Industries Announces Aluminum Deals
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowElkhart-based Drew Industries Inc. (NYSE: DW) has sold some of its aluminum extrusion assets to a Texas company. Its Lippert Components unit has also announced a six-year aluminum supply agreement with Dallas-based Atrium Corp. April 11, 2014
News Release
ELKHART, Ind., April 11, 2014 — Drew Industries Incorporated (NYSE: DW), a leading supplier of components for recreational vehicles (RVs) and manufactured homes, today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lippert Components, Inc., has entered into a six-year aluminum extrusion supply agreement with Atrium Windows and Doors, Inc. (“Atrium”), a Dallas, Texas based aluminum extrusion business. Concurrently, Lippert Components sold certain of its aluminum extrusion assets to Atrium.
“Extruded aluminum is a key raw material for us, and identifying a strong supplier such as Atrium was critical in our search for a new third-party supplier,” said Scott Mereness, Drew's President. “We were able to reach an agreement with Atrium to supply us with a portion of our extruded aluminum requirements over the next six years at a competitive market price.”
“We look forward to this new supplier relationship with Lippert Components,” added Brian Slobodow, Chief Operating Officer of Atrium. “Atrium has been extruding aluminum for over 35 years, with a history of producing high quality products. This additional extrusion volume will be produced at our existing Texas facility and will significantly increase the capacity utilization of our plant.”
Drew also reported that it has sold certain of its aluminum extrusion assets to Atrium for $7.5 million, payable over the next four years, plus contingent consideration of $1.25 million once 95 million pounds of aluminum extruded products are purchased during the term of the supply agreement. Drew anticipates recording a pre-tax loss on this sale of approximately $2 million in the second quarter of 2014.
Scott Mereness concluded, “As part of our ongoing evaluation of capacity and asset utilization, we concluded that our aluminum extrusion assets were not meeting our internal financial standards. The sale of our extrusion related assets will free up needed manufacturing space, as well as allow management to focus on other opportunities with higher growth potential. The outsourcing of these aluminum extrusion requirements to Atrium will immediately be accretive to earnings.”
About Drew Industries
From 34 factories located throughout the United States, Drew Industries, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lippert Components™, supplies a full line of components for the leading manufacturers of recreational vehicles and manufactured homes. In addition, Drew manufactures components for adjacent industries including buses; trailers used to haul boats, livestock, equipment and other cargo; truck caps; modular housing; and factory-built mobile office units. Drew's products include steel chassis; vinyl and aluminum windows and screens; slide-out mechanisms and solutions; axles and suspension solutions; furniture and mattresses; thermoformed bath, kitchen and other products; manual, electric and hydraulic stabilizer and lifting systems; chassis components; entry, baggage, patio and ramp doors; entry steps; awnings; electronics; and other accessories. Additional information about Drew and its products can be found at www.drewindustries.com.
About Atrium
For more than 60 years, Atrium Corporation has offered the highest quality window and door products to builders, contractors and distributors in the residential construction industry. Dedicated to meeting the needs of its customers, the Atrium family of brands provides a versatile range of window and patio door products, including vinyl and aluminum models, as well as replacement and new construction product lines. The company's portfolio of brands includes Atrium, North Star, Thermal, and Superior. Atrium's Supply Chain Component division includes its Aluminum Extruders division, American Screen Manufacturing, Atrium Extrusion Systems (AES) and Dow-Tech Plastics. Additional information on Atrium can be found at www.atrium.com.
Source: Drew Industries Inc.