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Drew Industries Reports Record Second Quarter Sales and Profits

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 29 -- Drew Industries Incorporated today announced a 52 percent increase in net income on a 58 percent increase in sales for the second quarter ended June 30, 2004. Drew said the gains were propelled by strong growth in the Company's recreational vehicle and leisure products ("RV") segment, as well as higher sales in its manufactured housing products (MH) segment.

As previously announced, the Company completed the acquisition of Zieman Manufacturing Company on May 4, 2004 for a cash purchase price of $21 million, plus the assumption of $5 million of debt. Zieman manufactures trailers for equipment hauling, boats, personal watercrafts and snowmobiles, as well as specialty chassis for modular offices. Zieman also manufactures chassis and chassis parts for RVs (primarily travel and fifth-wheel trailers) and manufactured homes, and recorded sales of more than $40 million in 2003.

Drew, a supplier of RV and MH components, reported that net sales increased to a quarterly record of $141.7 million in the 2004 second quarter, compared to net sales of $89.4 million in the second quarter of 2003. The sales increase includes $12 million in sales from Zieman, which were substantially higher than Zieman's sales for the comparable period last year.

Net income reached a second-quarter record of $8.2 million, or $.77 per diluted share, compared with net income of $5.3 million, or $.52 per diluted share, in the same period last year. Zieman contributed $.02 per share to the 2004 quarterly results. Drew reported that its second and third quarters are traditionally the strongest in terms of sales and profits due to the seasonality of the industries in which it operates.

"It was a great quarter by any measure as both our RV and MH segments ran well ahead of their industries," said Leigh J. Abrams, Drew's President and CEO. "The second quarter sales increase included $27 million of new business in our core product lines. Sales this quarter also included $12 million from the Zieman acquisition, more than $4 million from two small acquisitions made last year and $9 million from price increases to customers." Drew reported that for the most part steel price increases were passed on to customers without full markup, causing material costs as a percent of sales to increase during the quarter.

During the quarter, Drew gained new customers, added business from existing customers and increased sales of recently introduced products such as slide-out mechanisms and stabilizers for motorhomes. It also continued to increase sales of various innovative products for RVs that were acquired in the July 2003 acquisition of LTM Manufacturing.

As a result of its growth and broadened product line, Drew announced it has initiated an extensive capital expansion program that will add a total of 250,000 square feet of manufacturing space spanning several facilities. The expansion will significantly increase Drew's capacity to efficiently produce vinyl windows for manufactured homes, to temper glass used in RV windows, to produce and paint RV chassis, and to manufacture slide-out mechanisms for motorhomes and RV leveling devices.

Drew's RV segment achieved a 69 percent increase in sales and a 51 percent increase in operating profits. Approximately half of the sales growth was generated from organic growth exclusive of acquisitions and price increases. This organic growth is largely due to sales increases across Drew's products, as well as continuing RV industry growth.

Drew's MH segment had another strong quarter with sales increasing 41 percent, far outpacing the industry. Even excluding sales from the Zieman acquisition and price increases to customers, Drew's MH sales were up about 20 percent for the second quarter of 2004. Industry sales were down 2 percent for the 2004 second quarter, despite a 3 percent rise in June 2004. Year-to- date sales in the manufactured housing market are down 3.5 percent.

"Although there is still no clear sign of a sustained manufactured housing industry upturn, the double-digit decreases of the last five years seem to be over," said Abrams. "Several of our major customers are still predicting that industry new home unit sales will be up for the year. If this comes to fruition, the industry should have a much stronger second half."

Steel prices, depending upon the type of steel purchased, are currently double or triple the levels they were last year at this time. As a result, Drew implemented significant price increases and surcharges to customers to help offset the huge price increases for steel and, to a lesser extent, aluminum. Steel prices remain unstable and further price increases have been projected. Drew said it has expended extraordinary resources to acquire as much steel as possible in order to avoid some of the price increases and defer the price increases to its customers as long as possible.

"A secondary effect of the higher material costs has been a dramatic increase in the cost of the inventory on our balance sheet, which has increased by $43 million since last June," said Drew Chief Financial Officer Fred Zinn. "Approximately $12-$15 million of the inventory increase is attributable to the higher cost of steel and aluminum, while the balance relates to the Zieman acquisition and to increased inventory needs to service our higher sales levels. The higher inventory levels have also led to increased borrowings and thus higher than expected interest costs. Receivables, which increased $18 million since June 30, 2003, remain current with only 22 days sales outstanding."

Abrams added: "We continue to develop innovative and complementary products for our customers, while driving operating efficiencies that ensure our sales gains hit the bottom line. The second quarter continued our drive to become the leading supplier to the RV and MH market, and we believe we have the management team and the product platform to continue to outperform the market throughout 2004."

Recreational Vehicle and Leisure Products Segment

Drew supplies windows, doors, chassis, and slide-out mechanisms and power units, primarily for travel trailers and fifth-wheel RVs. Industry shipments of RVs have continued to grow during 2004, with first half 2004 RV shipments up 20 percent. Drew's RV segment far outperformed the industry by achieving a 69 percent increase in sales to a record $94 million for the quarter, and now represents 66 percent of consolidated sales. The RV segment achieved double- digit growth in all major product lines, in addition to the $7 million of sales applicable to Zieman.

As part of the Zieman acquisition, Drew acquired Zieman's specialty chassis business. This product line will be included in Drew's RV segment, which has been renamed "RV and Leisure Products." Zieman's sales of specialty chassis, which include trailers for equipment hauling, boats, personal watercrafts and snowmobiles, were approximately $20 million for 2003 and nearly $5 million since the acquisition in early May 2004. In addition, Zieman's sales of traditional RV products were about $3 million since the acquisition.

The operating profit margin of Drew's RV segment declined by 1.3 percent in the second quarter of 2004. The decline in operating profit margin is due to several factors, including (i) steel price increases being passed along to customers without full markup, (ii) high overtime costs due to extraordinary sales demand, (iii) increased workers compensation costs, and (iv) the inclusion of Zieman's operations, which although profitable, currently do not operate as efficiently as Drew's other businesses. Management of Drew's wholly owned subsidiary Lippert Components, which has assumed operating responsibility for Zieman, will work with Zieman's management to achieve labor and operating efficiencies as quickly as possible. Offsetting these factors were improved operating efficiencies in a new plant that opened in late 2002 and turned profitable this year. In addition, the spreading of fixed costs over a larger sales base favorably impacted margins.

"On a macro level, long-term demographic trends are expected to favor the RV industry, as is the improving economy. These factors, along with management's continued focus on product innovation and cost reduction, should enable our RV segment to achieve outstanding results well into the future," said Abrams.

Manufactured Housing Products Segment

Drew supplies vinyl and aluminum windows and screens, chassis, chassis parts, and bath and shower units to the MH industry. Throughout the industry slump since 1998, Drew's MH products segment has remained profitable. This segment's sales and profit momentum from the first quarter of 2004 continued into the second quarter, as Drew's MH segment operating profit increased 38 percent to $5.4 million on a 41 percent rise in net sales. Excluding the Zieman acquisition and price increases, Drew's MH segment increased about 20 percent, compared to an industry-wide decline of 2 percent.

"Lower repossessions and some improvement in the availability of financing for manufactured homes may be starting to have an impact on industry-wide production levels, although no sustained improvement has yet to be seen," said Abrams. "We continue to believe that in the long term, manufactured housing will enjoy a strong recovery as people come to appreciate the affordable prices and discover the marked improvement in quality and attractiveness of today's manufactured homes."

As announced in February 2004, Drew's Better Bath division plans to introduce bath products fabricated from a new composite material that is stronger, requires less maintenance and has a better overall appearance than fiberglass. These new products are expected to be introduced to the MH industry late in the third quarter of 2004 and will represent, for the first time, a product that can compete favorably with fiberglass products, which Drew does not presently manufacture.

About Drew

Drew, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Kinro and Lippert Components, supplies a broad array of components for RVs and manufactured homes. Drew's products include vinyl and aluminum windows and screens, doors, chassis, chassis parts, RV slide-out mechanisms and power units, bath and shower units, electric stabilizer jacks and trailers for equipment hauling, boats, personal watercrafts and snowmobiles, as well as chassis for modular offices. From 52 factories located throughout the United States and one factory in Canada, Drew serves most major national manufacturers of RVs and manufactured homes in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Additional information about Drew and its products can be found at http://www.drewindustries.com/ .

                       DREW INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED
                            OPERATING RESULTS

                         Six Months Ended        Quarter Ended
                              June 30,             June 30,      Last Twelve
  (In thousands,          2004       2003       2004      2003      Months
   except per share
   amounts)

  Net sales             $249,710   $170,237   $141,687   $89,410   $432,589
  Cost of sales          192,271    129,404    109,127    66,527    329,302
   Gross profit           57,439     40,833     32,560    22,883    103,287
  Selling, general and
   administrative
   expenses               33,269     25,299     18,410    13,298     60,374
  Other income               428                                        428
   Operating profit       24,598     15,534     14,150     9,585     43,341
  Interest expense, net    1,413      1,618        788       807      2,829
   Income from
    continuing
    operations before
    income taxes          23,185     13,916     13,362     8,778     40,512
  Provision for income
   taxes                   9,042      5,443      5,211     3,433     15,467
   Income from continuing
    operations            14,143      8,473      8,151     5,345     25,045
  Discontinued operations
   (net of taxes)                       138                             (90)
   Net income            $14,143     $8,611     $8,151    $5,345    $24,955

  Net income per common
   share:
   Income from continuing
    operations:
    Basic                  $1.38       $.85       $.79      $.53      $2.46
    Diluted                $1.34       $.83       $.77      $.52      $2.39
   Discontinued operations,
    net of taxes:
    Basic                              $.01                           $(.01)
    Diluted                            $.01                           $(.01)
   Net Income:
    Basic                  $1.38       $.86       $.79      $.53      $2.45
    Diluted                $1.34       $.84       $.77      $.52      $2.38

  Weighted average common
   shares outstanding:
   Basic                  10,258     10,007     10,271    10,045     10,201
   Diluted                10,588     10,215     10,616    10,249     10,484

  Depreciation and
   amortization           $4,497     $3,923     $2,362    $1,961     $8,437
  Capital expenditures   $10,322     $2,840     $7,220    $1,674    $12,555

                       DREW INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED
                             SEGMENT RESULTS

                                    Six Months Ended     Three Months Ended
                                        June 30,              June 30,
  (In thousands)                     2004     2003         2004     2003

  Net sales
   RV Segment                     $166,971  $105,714     $93,798   $55,457
   MH Segment                       82,739    64,523      47,889    33,953
    Total                         $249,710  $170,237    $141,687   $89,410

  Operating Profit
   RV Segment                      $18,265   $11,416     $10,406    $6,886
   MH Segment                        9,057     6,479       5,445     3,938
    Total segments operating
     profit                         27,322    17,895      15,851    10,824
  Amortization of intangibles         (466)     (375)       (261)     (182)
  Corporate and other               (2,686)   (1,986)     (1,440)   (1,057)
  Other income                         428
   Operating profit                $24,598   $15,534     $14,150    $9,585

                       DREW INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED
                        BALANCE SHEET INFORMATION
                                                                June 30,

      (In thousands, except ratios)                          2004      2003

  Current assets
   Cash and cash equivalents                                  $60     $4,884
   Accounts receivable, trade, less allowance              37,903     20,137
   Inventories                                             75,036     31,825
   Prepaid expenses and other current assets                6,916      5,596
   Discontinued operations                                                 6
    Total current assets                                  119,915     62,448
  Fixed assets, net                                        90,055     73,154
  Goodwill                                                 16,926      7,043
  Other intangible assets                                   6,933      4,417
  Other assets                                              2,915      3,062
   Total assets                                          $236,744   $150,124

  Current liabilities
   Notes payable, including current maturities of
    long-term indebtedness                                $12,183    $10,003
   Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other
    current liabilities                                    55,200     28,961
   Discontinued operations                                               131
    Total current liabilities                              67,383     39,095
  Long-term indebtedness                                   57,496     26,759
  Other long-term obligations                               2,363      3,245
   Total liabilities                                      127,242     69,099
   Total stockholders' equity                             109,502     81,025
   Total liabilities and stockholders' equity            $236,744   $150,124

  Current ratio                                               1.8        1.6
  Total indebtedness to stockholders' equity                  0.6        0.5