Brand FX Body Company has announced the purchase of the assets of Glasstite, manufacturer of a wide variety of fiberglass truck toppers. The agreement, which was finalized April 4, includes the purchase of all Glasstite facilities, a 160,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Dunnell, Minnesota, highly skilled personnel, and the company's entire product line.
Because both Brand FX and Glasstite manufacture molded fiberglass products, this purchase was synergistic for several reasons. First, the Glasstite manufacturing facility is in close proximity to existing Brand FX manufacturing facility in Pocahontas, Iowa, providing Brand FX with additional fiberglass manufacturing capacity for all of its fiberglass products. Also, the Brand FX freight network becomes more efficient, lowering the cost of transportation for all brands. In addition, the purchase of Glasstite facilities will provide Brand FX with a superior automated manufacturing line as well as extra paint lines for added capacity and productivity.
Conversely, the Glasstite truck body product line will benefit from new Brand FX ownership. Brand FX will provide ongoing support for the operation, including allowing for the development of new designs. Lee Finley, Brand FX CEO, added, "We welcome this opportunity to build on the quality and value of the Glasstite brand. Our ability to provide both strategic and operational support will be crucial to Glasstite's future success."
Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Brand FX Body Company designs, manufactures, and installs multi-purpose composite service bodies for light and medium-duty truck chassis; composite line bodies for medium and heavy-duty "aerial" applications; and composite toppers and inserts for pickup trucks. In March 2003, the company acquired GemTop Manufacturing Inc., Clackamas, Ore., to complement its composite products with a full line of commercial and recreational steel and aluminum pickup caps and tonneau covers. The Glasstite line of fiberglass truck toppers adds to the company's already broad line of truck bodies and tops.