Drew Industries Expands Into Adjacent Industries With Acquisition Of EA Technologies

ELKHART, Ind., Jan. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- 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. (LCI^®), has acquired the business and certain assets of EA Technologies, LLC. EA Technologies is an Elkhart, Indiana-based manufacturer of custom steel and aluminum parts and provider of electro-deposition ('e-coat') and powder coating services for RV, bus, medium-duty truck, automotive, recreational marine, specialty and utility trailer, and military applications. EA Technologies' e-coat process is ISO 9000 certified. Sales of the acquired business for 2014 were approximately $17 million.

"We are pleased to acquire the business, facility, and paint and metal fabricating equipment of EA Technologies," said Drew's President Scott Mereness. "We believe the EA Technologies relationships in the bus, automotive, medium-duty truck, and trailer markets will help accelerate our industry diversification and product innovation, which are part of our long-term plan for strategic growth. This acquisition also provides us with the facility and equipment capacity, as well as the additional personnel, to expand our fabricating and coating operations."

The purchase price was $9.4 million, of which $6.8 million was paid in the fourth quarter of 2014, with the balance paid at closing, from borrowings under the Company's $75 million line of credit.

Dennis Marcott, Manager of EA Technologies, who will not remain with the business, expressed confidence in the future of EA Technologies as part of LCI. "EA Technologies is very well situated to supply components to the industries it serves," said Marcott. "The EA Technologies business is a natural fit for Lippert Components, and I am confident that Lippert Components will invest in this business for the long term and provide strong customer service, as well as new innovative components and services."

About Drew Industries

From 37 factories located throughout the United States, Drew Industries, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Lippert Components^®, supplies a broad array of components for the leading manufacturers of recreational vehicles and adjacent industries including buses; trailers used to haul boats, livestock, equipment and other cargo; truck campers; truck caps; manufactured housing; modular housing; and factory-built mobile office units. Drew's products include steel chassis; vinyl and aluminum windows; 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, luggage, patio and ramp doors; electric and manual entry steps; awnings and slide toppers; electronic components; and other accessories. Additional information about Drew and its products can be found at www.drewindustries.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" with respect to our financial condition, results of operations, business strategies, operating efficiencies or synergies, competitive position, growth opportunities, acquisitions, plans and objectives of management and other matters. Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" for the purpose of the safe harbor provided by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.

Forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those relating to our future business prospects, net sales, expenses and income (loss), cash flow, and financial condition, whenever they occur in this press release are necessarily estimates reflecting the best judgment of our senior management at the time such statements were made. There are a number of factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. These factors include, in addition to other matters described in this press release, pricing pressures due to domestic and foreign competition, costs and availability of raw materials (particularly steel, steel based components and aluminum) and other components, availability of credit for financing the retail and wholesale purchase of products for which we sell our components, availability and costs of labor, employee benefits, employee retention, inventory levels of retail dealers and manufacturers, levels of repossessed products for which we sell our components, seasonality and cyclicality in the industries to which we sell our products, availability of transportation for products for which we sell our components, the financial condition of our customers, the financial condition of retail dealers of products for which we sell our components, retention and concentration of significant customers, the pace of and successful integration of acquisitions and other growth initiatives, realization of efficiency improvements, the successful entry into new markets, the costs of compliance with increased governmental regulation, interest rates, oil and gasoline prices, the impact of international, national and regional economic conditions and consumer confidence on the retail sale of products for which we sell our components, and other risks and uncertainties discussed more fully under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, and in our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made, except as required by law.

SOURCE Drew Industries Incorporated

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