Yesterday Billboard Insider wrote about Tiffin Metals exit from the billboard business via a sale of the billboard division to Formetco. We talked with Matt Dysard, CEO of Tiffin and Matt Xander, CEO of Formetco to get more details.
Matt Dysard, why did Tiffin decide to exit the billboard business?
Tiffin Metals has been a leading supplier of outdoor advertising products to billboard operators throughout the United States since 1928. And over the years, we expanded and entered other industries. We diversified into material handling systems, locker systems, and other custom mass- produced products. Those product lines have grown rapidly while our core billboard products have been decreasing since the rise of digital billboards. With the decreased demand for outdoor, coupled with rapidly rising steel prices, we decided to convert 100% of our production to manufacture our growing product lines.
What does this mean for the Tiffin brand of outdoor products?
That was a big concern for us, as we take great pride in the quality and functionality of our products. Our customers have high expectations. We realized that finding a company that had the capabilities and experience to produce these products to the Tiffin standards was the most important factor. Formetco was the perfect choice. Matt Xander, their CEO, and I have been friendly competitors for quite some time and have developed a relationship. Formetco agreed to manufacture the Tiffin Outdoor product line to our exact specification at its Duluth GA facility. Their engineering and sales teams have visited our facility and worked closely with our team to ensure a seamless transition of the product line.
Matt Xander, what happens to the Tiffin name and products?
We have become friends over the years, so we were honored to receive the call. Tiffin is deeply committed to its customers and their number one concern was ensuring that they had access to spare parts for their products in the field and were able to continue buying the Tiffin products without interruption. We have the upmost respect for Tiffin and everything it stands for. I’m confident we will be able to take care of their customers and continue to make their high-quality products.
And what does this acquisition mean for Tiffin customers?
We have all seen the significant contraction in the outdoor hardware business over the years as many in our industry have focused on digital technology, however, the non-digital business is critical to Formetco. It is what we were founded on over fifty years ago.
Tiffin customers should feel confident that Tiffin product lines will remain in the market and are being produced by a company that has been in business since 1968. We love this market, our roots are deep, and our commitment to its success is unparalleled.
Who should I call if I have any questions?
You can call your Formetco hardware sales rep. or Denise Roberts, our hardware sales manager (deniser@formetco.com). Formetco’s team have been trained by Tiffin’s staff to become experts on the new expanded product line. You can also reach out by email to sales@formetco.com
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