CHARLOTTE, Mich., April 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Spartan Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAR) (“Spartan” or the “Company”), a leader in the manufacturing of high-quality specialty chassis and vehicle assembly, announced today that the Company held a groundbreaking ceremony to recognize its $5.5 million investment in a new 85,000-square-foot truck assembly plant that will manufacture Isuzu’s new F-Series trucks. Spartan held this morning’s event at its headquarters at 1541 Reynolds Road in Charlotte, Mich.
Isuzu North America Corporation recently expanded its relationship with Spartan by selecting the Company to produce the new line of Isuzu trucks. The F-Series trucks will extend Isuzu’s product offering into Class 6 on-highway commercial trucks. This decision to further expand the alliance, which began in 2011 with the production of Isuzu’s gasoline-powered N-Series trucks, demonstrates Isuzu’s continued confidence in Spartan’s quality, people, flexibility, and expertise.
“Today’s groundbreaking ceremony represents a significant milestone for Spartan, as we expand our manufacturing footprint and bring new jobs to Michigan,” said Daryl Adams, President and Chief Executive Officer, Spartan Motors. “Measurable growth in our relationships with existing clients, such as Isuzu, further confirms our multi-year strategic plan is driving improved performance and will continue to pay dividends for Spartan over the long-term.”
Adams added, “We also want to thank our State and local officials for their collaboration and continued support of Spartan’s growth initiatives.”
New Production Creating Job Growth
The new plant will be part of Spartan’s Charlotte manufacturing campus, and it will be dedicated solely to the production of Isuzu vehicles. This new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility will have a flexible production line that can be easily reconfigured to accommodate the assembly of multiple product lines. Further, the production of the F-Series trucks by Spartan at this new plant will bring new jobs to the Michigan workforce.
“We are excited for the opportunity to further grow our business relationship with Isuzu,” said Steve Guillaume, Division President, Specialty Vehicles, Spartan Motors. “Contract manufacturing is a core competency of Spartan. This is another great opportunity for us to broaden our portfolio in this key area.”
About Spartan Motors
Spartan Motors, Inc. is a leading designer, engineer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty vehicles, specialty chassis, vehicle bodies and parts for the fleet and delivery, recreational vehicle (RV), emergency response, defense forces and contract assembly (light/medium duty truck: Class 3, 4 and 5) markets. The Company’s brand names – Spartan Motors, Spartan Specialty Vehicles, Spartan Emergency Response, Spartan Parts and Accessories, and Utilimaster®, a Spartan Motors Company – are known for quality, durability, performance, customer service and first-to-market innovation. The Company employs approximately 1,700 associates at facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Indiana. Spartan reported sales of $550 million in 2015. Visit Spartan Motors at theshyftgroup.com.
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SOURCE Spartan Motors, Inc.
Russell T. Chick, Corporate Director of Marketing, Spartan Motors, Inc., 517.997.3852; Renee Ketels, Director, Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., 313.309.9516; Samara Hamilton, Marketing Director, Spartan Motors, Inc., 517.997.3860
