APPLETON, Wis. (January 6, 2011) – Pierce Manufacturing, an Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) company, today announced that it has been granted United States Patent #7,784,554 for the Pierce Ultimate Configuration (PUC™) firefighting vehicle. This is in addition to multiple patents previously issued, which cover this vehicle and its options. With more than 500 vehicles sold, the PUC is among the most popular products in Pierce Manufacturing history.
“This US patent reinforces the PUC as a breakthrough firefighting vehicle innovation unlike anything else in the industry,” said Jim Johnson, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president, Fire & Emergency. “Our product development team spent thousands of hours developing the PUC, with input and feedback from firefighters coast-to-coast.”
The PUC is an industry-changing multi-purpose response vehicle that is engineered to eliminate the need for a bulky pumphouse. The PUC features a simplified two-step pump shift operation and redesigned pump panel for ease of use. In addition, the design frees space while improving function. With a wheelbase as short as 172-inches for improved maneuverability, the PUC also provides up to 500 cubic-feet of storage. Among the many other benefits delivered by the PUC are the following:
• Two-step/single touch ease. A simple two-step pump operation and “single touch” water-foam-CAFS selection means the firefighting system is up and functional before the operator exits the cab.
• Tilt and access efficiency. Reduced downtime and maintenance costs by tilting the cab and removing the crosslay trays. The PUC provides easy and full access to all plumbing and pump components. Maintenance people spend less time getting to the plumbing and parts.
• Safety. With the pump operator positioned alongside the hose connections instead of over them – and with crosslays and hosebeds at chest height – the PUC boasts an impressive list of safety features.
The PUC is available on all Pierce custom chassis in side and top mount configurations, as well as on all aerial ladders.
Photo Caption: Pierce Manufacturing today announced that it has been granted United States Patent #7,784,554 for the Pierce Ultimate Configuration (PUC™) firefighting vehicle.
About Pierce Manufacturing
Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK] company, is the leading North American manufacturer of custom fire apparatus. Products include custom and commercial pumpers, aerials, rescue trucks, wildland trucks, minipumpers, elliptical tankers, and homeland security apparatus. In addition, Pierce designs its own foam systems and was the first company to introduce frontal airbags and the Side Roll Protection system to fire apparatus. To learn more about Pierce, visit www.piercemfg.com
About Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Corporation is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corporation manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®,McNeilus®, Medtec®, Jerr-Dan®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline™, SMIT™, CON-E-CO®, London® and IMT®. Oshkosh products are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are paramount. For more information, visit www.oshkoshcorporation.com.
®, ™ All brand names referred to in this news release are trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that the Company believes to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “project” or “plan” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include the impact on revenues and margins of the projected decrease in M-ATV production rates; the cyclical nature of the Company’s access equipment, commercial and fire & emergency markets, especially during periods of global economic weakness and tight credit markets; the Company’s ability to produce vehicles under the FMTV contract at targeted margins; the duration of the ongoing global economic weakness, which could lead to additional impairment charges related to many of the Company’s intangible assets and/or a slower recovery in the Company’s cyclical businesses than equity market expectations; the expected level and timing of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) procurement of products and services and funding thereof; risks related to reductions in government expenditures in light of U.S. defense budget pressures and an uncertain DoD tactical wheeled vehicle strategy; the potential for the U.S. government to competitively bid the Company’s Army and Marine Corps contracts; the consequences of financial leverage associated with the JLG acquisition, which could limit the Company’s ability to pursue various opportunities; the potential for commodity and other raw material costs to rise sharply, particularly in a future economic recovery; risks related to the collectability of receivables, particularly for those businesses with exposure to construction markets; the cost of any warranty campaigns related to the Company’s products; risks related to costs and charges as a result of facilities consolidation and alignment; risks related to production delays arising from supplier quality or production issues; risks associated with international operations and sales, including foreign currency fluctuations and compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; risks related to work stoppages and other labor matters; the potential for disruptions or cost overruns in the Company’s global enterprise system implementation; the potential for increased costs relating to compliance with changes in laws and regulations; and risks related to disruptions in the Company’s distribution networks. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any obligation, to update information contained in this press release. Investors should be aware that the Company may not update such information until the Company’s next quarterly earnings conference call, if at all.
