Hopkins Manufacturing Corp. has acquired Hayes Towing Electronics, a trailer brake control company in Arab, Alabama.
The acquisition strengthens Hopkins’ position in trailer brake controls, the company said, complementing its towing electrical business. In addition to brake controls, Hayes has an array of vehicle-specific harnesses to make brake control installation plug-in simple.
Bradley T. Kraft, Hopkins president and CEO, said: “We are pleased to add the Hayes brand and products to our portfolio, building on two other strategic acquisitions in the towing category, including the market-leading range of trailer lighting products acquired in 2018 from Tiger Accessories Group. The addition of Hayes broadens our product offering and brings entirely new customers to Hopkins.”
Hopkins will transfer Hayes product distribution to its primary distribution center in Edgerton, Kansas. Currently, the Edgerton center distributes towing, cleaning, fluid management, vehicle accessory and other product lines.
Larry Fleming, president and CEO of Syncro Corp., which purchased Hayes in 2005, said: “We are excited with the reach of Hopkins and their ability to further grow the Hayes product line. Hopkins’ incredible focus on innovation, combined with their outstanding reputation in the industry and their position in the towing aftermarket makes them the perfect partner for our line.”
Brake controls and harnesses manufacturing will shift to Hopkins’ towing manufacturing facility in Juarez, Mexico, the world’s only factory ISO-certified facility specifically for towing electrical products.
Hopkins made numerous acquisitions recently, including buying Lumax, a grease gun and fluid accessory product supplier; the RoadSport splash guard line; Loxcreen automotive products; Tiger Accessory Group, a trailer and auxiliary lighting and cleaning product supplier; Bell Automotive Products, an interior and vehicle accessory supplier; and the TowDaddy line of towed vehicle wire harness kits.
