This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2009) |
Formerly | Spartan Motors |
---|---|
Company type | Public |
Nasdaq: SHYF Russell 2000 Component | |
Industry | Automotive |
Founded | September 18, 1975 |
Founders |
|
Headquarters | Novi, Michigan, U.S. |
Key people | |
Revenue | US$676.0 million (2020) |
US$48.85 million (2020) | |
US$48.2 million (2020) | |
Total assets | US$359.05 million (2020) |
Total equity | US$200.33 million (2020) |
Number of employees | 3,000 (2021) |
Website | theshyftgroup |
Footnotes /references [1] [2] [3] [4] |
The Shyft Group, Inc., formerly known as Spartan Motors, is an American automobile design company that designs, engineers and manufactures specialty chassis, specialty vehicles, truck bodies and aftermarket parts for the recreational vehicle (RV), government services, and delivery and service markets. The company started in 1975 as a direct result of the bankruptcy of Diamond Reo. [5] It is currently headquartered in Novi, Michigan [1] and has 3,000 employees. [3]
In 1974, Lansing-based Diamond Reo Trucks filed for bankruptcy. [6] [7] The Form-Rite Corporation of Charlotte, Michigan was owed a significant sum by Diamond Reo, which had been Form-Rite's largest client; Form-Rite had supplied fiberglass parts to Reo. During the bankruptcy hearings, Form-Rite president Charles R. McManamey learned of a significant contract that Reo had just won for custom fire truck chassis. From connections made through the hearing, McManamey was able to draw together the additional talent and knowledge required to build such trucks, and founded Spartan Motors, Inc. as a wholly owned subsidiary of Form-Rite.
During the establishment of Spartan Motors, manufacturing was set up in Form-Rite's 12,000 sq ft (1,100 m2) warehouse at 426 Sumpter Rd. [8] in Charlotte. Charles McManamey was named Spartan Motors' chairman of the board. [8] Former Reo vice president of engineering and marketing George W. Sztykiel became Spartan's president. [8] Ron Partee, former Reo manager of original equipment manufacturing, stepped in as the vice president of sales. [8] Spartan's vice president of engineering was former Reo director of engineering John Knox. [8] Kenneth C. McManamey, former Form-Rite production engineer and supervisor, served as Spartan's manager of operations. [8]
Sztykiel, Partee, Knox, and Ken McManamey all donated their time to build the first chassis on speculation. [8] By January 1, 1976, the chassis was completed. Within weeks it had been sold to FMC in Tipton, Indiana [7] : 30 [5] and Spartan had 16 custom fire truck cab & chassis orders as well as an order for a one-of-a-kind 140,000 pound GVW coal carrier. [8]
In March 1976, Spartan Motors employed 12 former Reo employees, [8] including Reo's ex–quality control manager Theodore C. Huff, former staff engineer-chassis at Reo Lawrence E. Karkau, and Gerald L. Geary, who had been assistant manager of truck design at Reo. Spartan was spun-off with its own officers and directors that April. [7] : 30 Charles McManamey's sons James and Donald also worked for Spartan Motors, as well as several other part-time workers. The company quickly outgrew the Form-Rite warehouse, and within a few years construction was started for a new facility on Reynolds Road in Charlotte. The McManameys sold their stock in the company and in 1984 Spartan went public, trading on NASDAQ under the symbol “SPAR”.
Spartan Motors entered the United Kingdom transit bus market in 1995 with the unveiling of its Spartan TX low-floor single-deck bus chassis at Coach & Bus 95, held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. The Spartan TX, built with an Alusuisse-framed East Lancs Opus 2 body seating 53 passengers to a budget of £ 82,000 (1995) (equivalent to £154,191.82or US$ 191,652.41 in 2023) [9] , was designed to be durable while saving manufacturing costs, and was fitted with a rear-mounted Cummins B Series engine, an Allison transmission and an Eaton air suspension. Only two Spartan TX buses were produced, with both being delivered to Barnsley-based Yorkshire Traction by 1996. [10]
In June 2020, Spartan Motors, Inc. announced its corporate name change to The Shyft Group, Inc. following the divestiture of its Emergency Response (ER) business unit. It began trading on NASDAQ under the symbol "SHYF". [11]
In October 2020, Shyft Group acquired the aluminum truck-body manufacturer F3 MFG Inc. based in Waterville, Maine, with its brands DuraMag and Magnum. [12]
Spartan RV Chassis engineers, designs, manufactures, sells, and services Class A diesel RV chassis for OEMs such as Entegra Coach, Newmar, Foretravel, and Jayco.
Utilimaster was acquired in November 2009. It designs, manufacturers, and assembles purpose-built delivery and other vocational trucks. [13]
Strobes-R-Us was acquired on December 17, 2018. It is a distributor and installer of specialty vehicle upfits and lighting equipment. [14]
General Truck Body was acquired in June 2019 and merged with Utilimaster. It manufactures and assembles refrigerated and non-refrigerated truck bodies. [15]
Royal Truck Body was acquired on September 20, 2019. It manufactures van bodies and accessories. [16]
On October 1, 2020, Shyft acquired F3 MFG, an aluminum truck body and accessory manufacturer behind the DuraMag Body and Magnum Truck Rack brands. The F3 MFG name was phased out and the DuraMag and Magnum brands were nested under the Shyft Specialty Vehicles business unit. [17]
Shyft launched Blue Arc EV Solutions in March 2022 to build commercial battery electric delivery vans. [18] The Randy Marion Automotive Group placed a pre-order for the vans that September, [19] at about the same time the first prototypes were shown to the press; they are offered in lengths of 12 to 22 ft (3.7 to 6.7 m) and multiple gross vehicle weight ratings, ranging from Class 3 to 5. [20]
Spartan Emergency Response Vehicles (Spartan ERV) is a manufacturer of custom fire engines. After several years of supplying chassis for fire trucks, Spartan acquired fire apparatus body manufacturers Luverne and Quality Manufacturing in the mid-1990s. Luverne used its early expertise in the automotive and heavy truck industries to begin building fire apparatus in 1912. Quality got its start six decades later, catering to the Southern firefighting market. In 2003, Luverne and Quality were consolidated under the names Crimson Fire and Crimson Fire Aerials. In 2011, Classic Fire of Ocala, Florida was acquired and became a new Crimson Fire manufacturing facility for fire trucks. [21] In 2012, Spartan Motors rebranded Crimson Fire as Spartan ERV, a joint venture with Gimaex. [21] In January 2017, Spartan ERV acquired fire apparatus manufacturer Smeal Fire Apparatus, including its subsidiaries Smeal, Ladder Tower Company, and US Tanker. [22] On February 3, 2020, Spartan Motors sold Spartan ERV division to the REV Group, including Spartan Custom Cabs, Smeal Fire Apparatus, Ladder Tower Company, and US Tanker. [23]
Road Rescue is a manufacturer of ambulances. It was sold in 2010 to Allied Specialty Vehicles. [24]
Carpenter Industries was a manufacturer of school buses, transit buses, and step vans. Carpenter was founded in 1919; Spartan purchased it in 1998, but closed it down in 2001.
The REO Motor Car Company was a company based in Lansing, Michigan, which produced automobiles and trucks from 1905 to 1975. At one point, the company also manufactured buses on its truck platforms.
The White Motor Company was an American automobile, truck, bus and agricultural tractor manufacturer from 1900 until 1980. The company also produced bicycles, roller skates, automatic lathes, and sewing machines. Before World War II, the company was based in Cleveland, Ohio. White Diesel Engine Division in Springfield, Ohio, manufactured diesel engine generators, which powered U.S. military equipment and infrastructure, namely Army Nike and Air Force Bomarc launch complexes, and other guided missile installations and proving grounds, sections of SAGE and DEW Line stations, radars, Combat Direction Centers and other ground facilities of the U.S. aerospace defense ring, such as the Texas Towers.
The REO Speed Wagon was a light motor truck model manufactured by REO Motor Car Company. It is an ancestor of the pickup truck.
Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive company, headquartered in Mumbai and part of the Tata Group. The company produces cars, trucks, vans, and buses.
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German technology manufacturing company that supplies systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. It is headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German state of Baden-Württemberg. Specializing in engineering, it is primarily known for its design, research and development, and manufacturing activities in the automotive industry and is one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world. Its products include driveline and chassis technology for cars and commercial vehicles, along with specialized plant equipment such as construction equipment. It is also involved in the rail, marine, defense and aviation industries, as well as general industrial applications. ZF has 162 production locations in 31 countries with approximately 168,700 (2023) employees.
The Wayne Corporation was an American manufacturer of buses and other vehicles under the "Wayne" marque. The corporate headquarters were in Richmond, Indiana, in Wayne County, Indiana. During the middle 20th century, Wayne served as a leading producer of school buses in North America.
Thomas Built Buses, Inc. is an American bus manufacturer. Best known for its production of the first ever rear engine Type C school bus. Thomas produces other bus designs for a variety of usages. Currently, its production is concentrated on school buses and activity buses, along with their commercial derivatives.
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Oshkosh Corporation, formerly Oshkosh Truck, is an American industrial company that designs and builds specialty trucks, military vehicles, truck bodies, airport fire apparatus, and access equipment. The corporation also owns Pierce Manufacturing, a fire apparatus manufacturer in Appleton, Wisconsin, and JLG Industries, a manufacturer of lift equipment, including aerial lifts, boom lifts, scissor lifts, telehandlers and low-level access lifts.
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Superior Coach was a coachbuilder in the American automotive industry. Founded in 1909 as the Garford Motor Truck Company, Superior is best known for constructing bodies for professional cars (hearses) and school buses. Following major downturns in both segments in the late 1970s, Superior was liquidated by its parent company in 1980. From 1925 to 1980, the company was based in Lima, Ohio.
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