Rigid Industries & Truck-Lite UNITE

[RigidIndustries]

Hey FRF,

Some Big News dropped today and we are incredibly excited for the future!



Through our years of teamwork and dedication in building Rigid Industries into what it has become today, we have very exciting news. We would like to announce our acquisition by lighting industry leader Truck-Lite Company, Inc. LLC, part of the PENSKE Corporation.

This strategic partnership brings two very diverse, but extremely complementary brands together forming a new lighting powerhouse for the consumer vehicle, heavy-duty, commercial and OE sectors.

Truck-Lite is known for their top-quality products in signal/safety, forward lighting and OE fleet headlight systems. Truck-Lite carries a very similar history to Rigid, just 50 years earlier. Established in 1955 by George Baldwin, who developed the first Sealed-Beam headlight in his kitchen. 60 years later Truck-Lite now has 2,300 employees! Together Rigid and Truck-Lite will continuously develop new and innovative lighting products!

Rigid will operate as an independent division under Truck-Lite and continue day-to-day operations from their facilities in Mesa, and Gilbert, Arizona providing you the same great name, products and warranty as before.

We are looking forward to working under the PENSKE family of businesses to make this a very successful offering to Rigid Nation worldwide.

 

[SilentShooter]

Well there goes the neighborhood. Every time PR spins it like its a good thing, I laugh. Basically a company run by driven ownership just sold out to a corp for big money and expect things to go downhill now. I have seen it way too many times. All talk on how much better its going to get and then once the new management actually takes over and the old guys leave or get frozen out it starts showing the more money less quality/customer service aspect of big corps..

I'll now sit back and watch it unfold and then point to this very post at a later date..

 

[Deleted member 12951]

And I thought PENSKE was just another U-Haul company, interesting

 

[SilentShooter]

Most of the Penske companies revolve around trucking & fleets but the have a couple other groups that do things like Marine engines for boats.

 

[J DAMAGE]

Hell now that a big corporation jumped in, that should mean same quality but cheaper prices, or does it mean prices stay the same and quality goes down, I know its one of the above .

 

[SilentShooter]

Lets see how long before they go from being made in the USA (with overseas parts) to Designed in the USA (with parts and assembly overseas)

 

[Jimbo]

Penske is heavy in the dealership side of things to. Congrats on lining your pockets and walking away happy, the American dream.

 

[LF LandShark 2818]

I can't wait to rent my next truck with a light bar on it.....

This is honestly, incredibly disappointing news. I have been beyond loyal to Rigid and run your products exclusively on my truck. I have ALWAYS been willing to pay more for your brand because even though the parts for your lights come from (insert almost any foreign country), they were assembled here in the US and i even had a chance to see it first hand in AZ. I just can't fathom how the insane profit margin you make on selling these lights isn't enough. Moreover, how it makes sense to sell out to a company who literally has NOTHING to do with your current customer base. Your mission statement and customer service is what always made me a believer that i was investing in something worthwhile and something that i would recommend to friends and family. Companies like PENKSE, which has about as much to do with lighting as i do with neurosurgery, didn't buy you out because they love lights. I just can't see how this is at all positive for us, as the loyal consumer, being handed over to a major corporation that is completely profit driven. Then again, for you to make this move, i guess you fall in the same boat....

 

[MagicMtnDan]

Rigid Industries purchased!

Rigid Industries has been purchased by Trucklite!

 

[Chris's FX4]

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f71/rigid-industries-truck-lite-unite-40715/