Holland acquires Consolidated Metco fifth wheel product

HOLLAND, Mich. (Sept. 30, 2004) — Holland USA, a subsidiary of The Holland Group, Inc., has announced that it has acquired the Simplex fifth wheel product line from Consolidated Metco, Inc.

Consolidated Metco’s parent company AMSTED, a diversified holding company based in Chicago, is one of the world’s largest transportation component manufacturers, specializing in products that serve the rail, heavy-duty vehicle, automotive, construction/building and general industrial markets. ConMet produces aluminum castings, wheel hubs (both aluminum and ductile iron) and plastic interior components.

Holland specializes in products for coupling, lifting and suspension systems for trucks, buses, tractors and trailers. These products include fifth wheels, landing gear, air and mechanical suspensions, kingpins, pintle hooks, drawbars, couplers, lift gates and roll formed components

“The sale of the Simplex fifth wheel product line is an important step for ConMet,” says Ed Oeltjen, president of ConMet. “It will allow us to focus more resources on our core businesses of wheel ends, plastic interiors and aluminum castings, all serving the NAFTA Commercial vehicle market. We feel that we have left our fifth wheel customers in good hands with The Holland Group.”

“The Holland organization is excited about this acquisition,” says Holland Group President Sam Martin. “We plan to build on ConMet’s strong OEM and fleet relationships with the Simplex fifth wheel and leverage our common cast steel know-how to provide improved fifth wheel products to our customers.”

They are sold under the Holland brand name from Holland’s locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Japan, China, Malaysia and Thailand.