Rhino Off-Road RTV® "Sets Sale" for Production Facility in China
HENDERSON, N.V.--Rhino Outdoor International, Inc. (OTCBB: RHOI), which operates outdoor activity based businesses, including wholly owned subsidiary Rhino Off-Road Industries, Inc., announced today that the company has shipped a fully outfitted Rhino Off-Road RTV-XT2 vehicle to its production partners in China. Shipment of the vehicle marks a key step in the process of mass production of the vehicle for distribution worldwide. The company previously announced an agreement with Hebei Sida Industry Group Co, LTD (HSIG) in China for production of the innovative off-road vehicle.
The agreement includes distribution rights and an initial order of 1,000 units by HSIG. HSIG is a large-scale, ISO9001 certified manufacturer that currently occupies facilities exceeding one million square feet in China. The company produces container trucks, refrigerated trucks, dump trucks, RV’s and many other automotive type products for the domestic Chinese market. With manufacturing facilities throughout the country, and hundreds of employees, HSIG has the financial and human resources available to support the growth and demand of ROI.
“This is critical milestone for our company and the Rhino Off-Road RTV,” stated Howard Pearl, CEO & President of Rhino Outdoor International, parent company of Rhino Off-Road Industries. “Volume production is essential for us to bring this product to market and maintain the competitive price point for our customers and distribution network.” The fully outfitted vehicle departs aboard a container ship from Los Angeles on May 10th with arrival anticipated at the manufacturing facility within two weeks. The vehicle will serve as both a template for design and engineering review at the factory, and as a demo unit for display in trade and consumer events in China.
HSIG has a 100,000 square foot facility, which is large enough to produce 5000 RTVs per year. The first phase will include two product lines housed in 30,000 square feet with annual production of up to 1000 RTVs. In order to meet production demand, the facility will feature in-house tube-bending, laser cutting and a large powder-coating facility. Additionally an on-site off-road testing area will be built. Engineers from ROI are scheduled to be on-site at the facility to manage the set-up of the production lines, train engineering and production staff and program manufacturing equipment.
"With these manufacturing capabilities and personnel the company will grow", continued Mr. Pearl. "The RTV has proven its self now it is essential that the company responds quickly to customer demand by growing our manufacturing capacity, an important move that gets us out of the lab and onto distribution, sales and the cash flow we're looking for. We've said it before China provides us with an excellent manufacturing climate, labor, land, raw materials and parts suppliers. We have chosen a facility in a city that has large steel and aluminum production plants, and in a building that has direct access to the railway. These two key elements ensure an ample supply of raw materials, and the infrastructure to move the finished goods around the country and to port for shipping."
About Rhino Off-Road Industries
Rhino Off-Road Industries is the manufacturer of the innovative Rhino Off-Road Rough Terrain Vehicle (RTV). The RTV was designed for active, outdoor oriented families and individuals wanting to experience off-road adventure in virtually any off-road terrain. The Rhino RTV has added a new dimension to wilderness adventure tours and created a new category in the growing off-road rental industry. The dependable and affordable Rhino Off-Road RTV is manufactured in Henderson, NV. For more information please visit the ROI website at www.RhinoBrands.com.