Spartan Motors
Encyclopedia
Spartan Motors, Inc. is an engineering firm and manufacturer of custom-designed motor vehicle chassis
and bodies. The company is based in Charlotte
, Michigan
with 870 employees (2005) and a net profit margin of 2.42% (2005). It was started in 1976 by Charles Robert McManamey and a group of individuals whose employer, Diamond Reo, went bankrupt. Spartan mainly manufactures vehicle chassis for the recreational vehicle, emergency services, and military markets.
and Quality Manufacturing.
Crimson Fire made its debut in 2003 - but their heritage stretches back more than a century.
That was the year two manufacturers, Luverne Fire Apparatus and Quality Manufacturing, joined forces under a single brand to form Crimson Fire. Luverne used its early expertise in the automotive and heavy truck industries to begin building fire apparatus in 1912. Quality got its start six decades later, catering to the Southern firefighting market. Their customers included some of the largest departments in the country include Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Buffalo and Chicago Fire Departments. Crimson Fire continues market growth into other countries including Canada, Chile, and China.
produces customized Parcel Delivery Vans (PDVs), walk-in vans (also known as step vans), and truck bodies. It was founded in 1973 in Wakarusa, Indiana
. Previously owned by Holiday Rambler
and then Harley-Davidson
, it was later acquired by senior management along with an investment group led by Kirkland Messina in 1996. In November 2009, it was purchased by Spartan Motors.
was a manufacturer of school bus
es, transit bus
es, and step vans. Carpenter was founded in 1919; Spartan purchased it in 1998, but closed it down in 2001.
(FPI) and General Dynamics
. The FPI Cougar, which uses a Spartan chassis, is one of several Mine Resistant Ambush Protected
, or MRAP, designs recently ordered by the United States military.
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
and bodies. The company is based in Charlotte
Charlotte, Michigan
Charlotte is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,074. It is the county seat of Eaton County....
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
with 870 employees (2005) and a net profit margin of 2.42% (2005). It was started in 1976 by Charles Robert McManamey and a group of individuals whose employer, Diamond Reo, went bankrupt. Spartan mainly manufactures vehicle chassis for the recreational vehicle, emergency services, and military markets.
Facilities
Spartan Motors operates facilities in the following places:- Charlotte, MichiganCharlotte, MichiganCharlotte is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,074. It is the county seat of Eaton County....
- Brandon, South DakotaBrandon, South DakotaThere were 1,909 households out of which 53.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.0% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.6% were non-families. 13.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone...
- Marion, South CarolinaMarion, South CarolinaMarion is a city in Marion County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,042 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marion County...
- Lancaster, PennsylvaniaLancaster, PennsylvaniaLancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
- Wakarusa, IndianaWakarusa, IndianaWakarusa is a town in Harrison and Olive townships in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,618 at the 2000 census. Wakarusa is a small farming and manufacturing community located on Indiana 19 just north of Indiana 119...
Spartan Chassis, Inc.
Spartan Chassis designs, engineers, and manufactures chassis for recreational vehicles, fire trucks, ambulances, and rescue vehicles.Crimson Fire, Inc.
Crimson Fire designs and builds custom fire apparatus. It was created by a consolidation of LuverneLuverne (automobile)
Luverne was a United States automobile manufacturing company which produced automobiles from 1904 to 1917. Founded by carriage makers Al and Ed Leicher, the company was based in Luverne, Minnesota...
and Quality Manufacturing.
Crimson Fire made its debut in 2003 - but their heritage stretches back more than a century.
That was the year two manufacturers, Luverne Fire Apparatus and Quality Manufacturing, joined forces under a single brand to form Crimson Fire. Luverne used its early expertise in the automotive and heavy truck industries to begin building fire apparatus in 1912. Quality got its start six decades later, catering to the Southern firefighting market. Their customers included some of the largest departments in the country include Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Buffalo and Chicago Fire Departments. Crimson Fire continues market growth into other countries including Canada, Chile, and China.
Utilimaster Corp.
Utilimaster CorporationUtilimaster Corporation
Utilimaster Corporation is the largest producer of walk-in vans , Parcel Delivery Vans and truck bodies. It was founded in 1973 in Wakarusa, Indiana. Previously owned by Holiday Rambler and then Harley-Davidson, it was bought by senior management along with an investment group led by Kirkland...
produces customized Parcel Delivery Vans (PDVs), walk-in vans (also known as step vans), and truck bodies. It was founded in 1973 in Wakarusa, Indiana
Wakarusa, Indiana
Wakarusa is a town in Harrison and Olive townships in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,618 at the 2000 census. Wakarusa is a small farming and manufacturing community located on Indiana 19 just north of Indiana 119...
. Previously owned by Holiday Rambler
Holiday Rambler
Holiday Rambler Corporation was an American corporation which primarily manufactured recreational vehicles. It was founded in 1953. In 1961, Holiday Rambler’s introduction of aluminum body framing ushered in a new era of lighter, stronger and more durable recreational vehicles . This aluminum...
and then Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
, it was later acquired by senior management along with an investment group led by Kirkland Messina in 1996. In November 2009, it was purchased by Spartan Motors.
Carpenter Industries, Inc.
Carpenter IndustriesCarpenter Body Company
Carpenter Body Company, also known over the years as the Ralph H. Carpenter Body Company, Carpenter Body Works, Inc., Carpenter Manufacturing Company, Carpenter Industries, Inc., and Crown By Carpenter, was a bus body manufacturer based in Mitchell, Indiana, United States...
was a manufacturer of school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
es, transit bus
Transit bus
A transit bus , also known as a commuter bus, city bus, or public bus, is a bus used for short-distance public transport purposes...
es, and step vans. Carpenter was founded in 1919; Spartan purchased it in 1998, but closed it down in 2001.
Military supplier
In 2006, Spartan began manufacturing military vehicle chassis as a supplier to two companies, Force ProtectionForce protection
Force protection or FP is a term used by the US military to describe preventive measures taken to mitigate hostile actions in specific areas or against a specific populous, usually Department of Defense personnel , resources, facilities, and critical information.-See also:*Pentagon Force Protection...
(FPI) and General Dynamics
General Dynamics Land Systems
In February 1982 Chrysler announced the sale of Chrysler Defense, its profitable defense subsidiary to General Dynamics for US$348.5 million. The sale was completed in March 1982 for the revised figure of US$336.1 million. General Dynamics renamed the division General Dynamics Land Systems. In 2003...
. The FPI Cougar, which uses a Spartan chassis, is one of several Mine Resistant Ambush Protected
MRAP (armored vehicle)
A Mine Resistant Ambush Protected is a family of armored fighting vehicles design led by the United States Marine Corps in use by the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces with the goal of surviving IED attacks and ambushes - prompted by US deaths in Iraq...
, or MRAP, designs recently ordered by the United States military.