KME recently delivered airfield fire apparatus to the United States Air Force (USAF) that include ultra-high-pressure (UHP) firefighting pumping systems.
The USAF contract's models include 144 rapid intervention vehicles (RIVs), five 4x4 Class 4 aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) apparatus, and 21 6x6 Class 5 ARFF apparatus with rear-steer capability.
The RIVs, mounted on Ford Super Duty chassis, include 400 gallons of water, 15 gallons of Class A foam, and 56 gallons of Class B foam. The UHP system operates at 90 gpm at 1,200 psi using a 60-gpm bumper turret and two 15-gpm UHP handlines.
The ARFF vehicles include aluminum cabs and bodies, 1,500 or 3,000 gallons of water, 200 or 400 gallons of foam, and 500 pounds of dry chemical. They operate with a 300-gpm UHP bumper turret, UHP handline, two 2½-inch low-pressure handlines, and a dry-chem handline. The dual pump system operates at 320 gpm at 1,350 psi in UHP mode and 250 gpm at 150 psi in the stationary low-pressure pumping mode.
E-ONE's onsite retail store, the Fire Locker, reopened with more than double the square footage of retail space and a broader selection of apparel, electronic gadgets, and company-branded merchandise. Located in the Welcome Center of E-ONE in Ocala, Florida, the store has products from vendors such as Nike®, Columbia®, and Titleist®. To further enhance the Fire Locker experience, E-ONE hired a new marketing and communications coordinator, Melissa Kahan, to operate the store while also assisting with E-ONE's social media. In addition to doubling in size and hiring an employee to manage the store, the Fire Locker launched a redesigned ecommerce site, www.firelocker.com, which offers an equivalent product offering on the Web site as the onsite store.
HALE PRODUCTS, INC. was named a runner-up for the Manufacturers Association of Florida's annual Manufacturers of the Year award. With more than 325,000 people employed in Florida's manufacturing industry, the judges narrowed the competition to 21 finalists in five categories based on number of employees. Each company was judged on leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce focus, and process management.
SPARTAN MOTORS, INC. announced that John Sztykiel will retire as president and chief executive officer (CEO), effective February 19, 2015. He will serve as a member of Spartan's Board of Directors until his term expires in May 2015 and as a consultant to the company until August 31, 2016. Daryl Adams, Spartan chief operating officer, will succeed Sztykiel as president and CEO upon his retirement. Sztykiel, 57, joined Spartan in 1985 and assumed roles of increasing responsibility, including president and CEO. During his tenure with the company, revenues increased from $9.9 million to a projected $500 million-plus in 2014, representing a 14 percent compound annual growth rate, and Spartan's market capitalization grew from $10 million to more than $170 million, in addition to a 21-year history of paying dividends.
Daniel Slater has joined the company as president of its Emergency Response business, effective January 5, 2015. He reports to Daryl Adams.
Braun Industries recently expanded its service department. The company has made significant investments in the service team in recent months, including purchasing a new facility, strategic additions to the service department staff, and introducing new offerings like its ambulance remount and refurbishment service. The company purchased Life Star Rescue's 49,500-square-foot facility to serve as its service department when