INDUSTRY PROFILE
Sitting Pretty W
Hickory Springs and Triad Fabco bring innovation, comfort and increased safety to the student transportation industry
BY ART GISSENDANER
hen Hickory Springs Manufac- turing acquired Triad Fabco Indus- tries in 2007, it was
the culmination of a corporate courtship between two creative companies that literally were made for each other. Both companies are headquartered
in North Carolina. Hickory Springs is in Hickory, and Triad Fabco is 87 miles down the road in High Point. Hickory Springs built its reputation in the core bedding and furniture markets and has
manufacturing plants representing a va- riety of industries in 16 states and China. Triad Fabco, meanwhile, has earned
its spurs as a premier supplier of seat backs in the school bus and golf cart markets for the past 40 years. It was Hickory Springs that, for decades, supplied Triad Fabco with the poly- urethane foam and foam trim used to manufacture bus seat cushions. As a result of the acquisition, Triad
Fabco is now a vertically integrated manufacturer of rebond, polyurethane foam used in the school bus seat back.
40 School Transportation News Magazine November 2012
Officials said it is the only company to manufacture a molded rebond school bus seat back, and this innovation of- fers higher performance because it does not soften over the frame.
A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP Don Simpson, general manager of
Hickory Springs’ Diversified Products Group, said the acquisition was con- sistent with the company's long-term strategy of diversifying into the school bus industry. “There had been a lot of conversa-
tions with the prior owners of Triad about possibly selling the company to Hickory Springs,” Simpson said. “When they decided to retire from the busi- ness, it was just a natural fit to join the Hickory Springs family of companies. The high-quality, molded rebond seat- ing products really complemented what Hickory Springs had to offer in the
From left, Don Simpson of Hickory Springs and David Murphy of Triad Fabco said a partnership dating back to 2007 has opened new doors for both companies.
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