Specialty Manufacturing to Merge with Commercial Transit Bus Component Manufacturer

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. ( Feb. 15, 2007) - Specialty Manufacturing, Inc., is growing, with optimizing customer satisifaction soon to be a result, it announced.

The North Carolina-based supplier of safety components, lighting systems and accessories to the school and transit bus markets will merge with Pretoria Transit Interiors to form "one of the leading suppliers to the transportation industry." 

"The combination of these two businesses is part of each company's commitment to serve their customers better," said Gray Ellison, president of Specialty. "This transaction allows us to provide a broader mix of high-quality products to our blue chip customer bases.  By leveraging the volume and best practices of each company, we expect to be able to bolster each company's already outstanding service and support." 

For the school bus industry, Specialty manufactures and markets electric stop arms, crossing control arms and reflective sheeting to the bus industry. It also manufacturers strobe lighting, bilingual stop arms and screen-vented hatches, power ventilator hatches, a fully automatic push-button transit bus hatch for low floor coaches, and it makes a contoured hatch that blends into the bus roof line for school buses and transit coaches.

Ellison will serve as the combined company president, but both companies willl continue to operate individually with the merger being transparent to each other's respective customer base. Pretoria's chief executives and founders, Herman and Sonette Myburgh, will continue on as managers of the business. Herman Myburgh will be responsible for product development and customer service.

"We have had tremendous growth over the years," said Herman Myburgh."By joining forces with a strong organization like Specialty, who is committed to the transportation industry and supported by a strong financial equity partner [Century Park Capital Partners], we will augment the infrastructure necessary to support the growing needs of our customers."