Stevenson Grows Engineering Business

Stevenson announced today the purchase of Fruehauf Trailers, one of New Zealand’s leading manufacturers of heavy transport trailers and ancillary equipment.

Trading under receivership since February 2007, Stevenson Engineering CEO Peter Dudson, said Fruehauf’s brand, reputation for quality, and fit with Stevenson’s wider engineering business made the acquisition compelling. “Fruehauf is a natural fit for Stevenson. With our growing relationships in the truck distribution market, owning one of New Zealand’s leading trailer manufacturers makes huge sense. “As an engineering technology and design business there are natural synergies with Stevenson Engineering. We can leverage our strengths and relationships and add another business that operates in the top three in its market.”

“The Fruehauf brand is still strong in New Zealand, and Australia, and with the depth of the Stevenson Group behind it, we believe we can help Fruehauf to be successful again.”

Fruehauf’ s head office is based in the Manawatu town of Fielding and the business has over 50 years of involvement in designing and manufacturing quality trailers. Over the years, Fruehauf has introduced to New Zealand many new, innovative designs and technologies in trailer building, which reduce tare weight and increase payload opportunities. Together with the recent acquisition of Southern International, Fruehauf significantly grows the Stevenson Engineering business, extending its reach nationally.

Southern International Ltd is the leading equipment sales, service and parts business based in Christchurch. They hold the IVECO and International truck dealerships for the South Island together with a range of other equipment agencies.