Safe Fleet Acquires UK-based Labcraft

BELTON, Mo., March 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Safe Fleet, a leading supplier of safety solutions for fleet vehicles, headquartered in Missouri, USA, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Labcraft, based in Essex, UK. Labcraft is the UK’s leading manufacturer of high performance and energy efficient LED lighting for the commercial vehicle and emergency services sectors.
Labcraft designs and manufactures a wide range of interior and exterior low voltage LED lighting solutions for the commercial vehicle sector, transforming every van, truck and trailer into a safer and more productive place of work.

With over 60 years in business, Labcraft has become the supplier of choice for body converters, manufacturers, and commercial & emergency fleet managers. Today, Labcraft LED products are fitted on vehicles around the world which is testament to their dedication to innovate and improve safety. “Labcraft is a great addition to the Safe Fleet family,” says Michael Schulte, President of Safe Fleet. “Their drive to design innovative lighting solutions to improve safety and efficiency aligns with our mission to make fleets smarter and people safer.” He added, “Safe Fleet is committed to offering fleet customers and operators, wherever they are, an advanced range of smart safety solutions.”

Adding Labcraft to the Safe Fleet brand portfolio not only reaffirms Safe Fleet’s global leadership position, it also bolsters the company’s offering with the addition of premium safety lighting solutions designed to perform to the highest level in the toughest conditions. “We are excited to join Safe Fleet and contribute to its fleet safety mission,” says Matt Stubbs, Sales Director at Labcraft. “Labcraft customers will benefit from Safe Fleet’s resources, breadth, and dedication to the Commercial and Emergency Vehicle market.” Nick Luscombe, who has headed Labcraft for over 20 years added: “Safe Fleet is a great home for the Labcraft business to continue to grow, innovate and support both employees and customers.”

The strong Labcraft brand and business will continue to be managed and operate as a standalone entity. “The addition of Labcraft is an important next step in Safe Fleet’s vision to become the leading global supplier of safety solutions for fleet vehicles,” adds John R. Knox, Safe Fleet Chairman & CEO. “With Durite and Labcraft now onboard, we are well-positioned for growth in the European Commercial Vehicle Market.”

About Safe Fleet
Headquartered in Belton, MO, Safe Fleet is the leading provider of safety solutions for fleet vehicles. Their best-of-breed smart solutions form an integrated safety platform for fleets of every type – School Bus, Transit, Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement, Work Truck, Truck & Trailer, Construction, Agriculture, Waste & Recycling, Industrial and Military. With a broad portfolio of market-leading brands,1,700 employees and 15 manufacturing locations, Safe Fleet continues to innovate and deliver the smart safety solutions that fleets need to survive and thrive in a changing world – and ensure that drivers, passengers, and everyone around them arrive home safely.

Safe Fleet is driving safety forward for today’s and tomorrow’s fleets. For more information visit www.safefleet.net. Safe Fleet is a portfolio company of Oak Hill Capital Partners.

About Labcraft
Labcraft designs and manufactures commercial vehicle and emergency vehicle LED lighting including interior and exterior van, truck and trailer lighting. Our low voltage LED lighting products are manufactured in the UK and used in many applications such as commercial, marine and leisure around the world. Established in 1956, Labcraft has developed over the years a strong reputation for innovative high quality lighting solutions with distinctive design features.

Labcraft is committed to providing customers with the highest quality of both products and service. For more information, please visit www.labcraft.co.uk. About Oak Hill Capital Partners
Oak Hill is a private equity firm managing funds with more than £14 billion of initial capital commitments and co-investments since inception from leading global endowments and foundations, public and corporate pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, financial institutions, consultants, and family offices. Over the past 30+ years, the professionals at Oak Hill and its predecessors have invested in 90 private equity transactions across broad segments of the U.S. and global economies.

Oak Hill applies an industry-focused, theme-based approach to investing in the following sectors: Consumer, Retail & Distribution; Industrials; Media & Communications; and Services. Oak Hill works actively in partnership with management to implement strategic and operational initiatives to create franchise value. For more information, please visit www.oakhillcapital.com.

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Lori Jetha
VP, Marketing
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