Brandon, S.D., January 11, 2008 – Kevin Crump has been promoted to president of Crimson Fire, Inc.
The veteran manufacturing expert joined the Brandon, S.D.-based manufacturer of custom fire trucks and other rescue vehicles in July as executive vice president and general manager. During this period, he has worked with the manufacturing team to improve efficiency, reduce delivery times and streamline operations.
In his new role as president, Crump will be heavily involved with day-to-day operational issues, particularly those related to manufacturing. He will also assume responsibility for inside sales, quality, engineering, service and support, and related areas, and he will continue to report to Jim Salmi.
Kevin is a hands-on leader who is committed to the principles of performance in everything he does
Salmi, chief operating officer of Crimson Fire and president of Crimson Fire Aerials, will continue to handle all functions for the aerial subsidiary, as well as finance, human resources, sales and marketing for both business units.
“Our manufacturing efficiencies and quality in Brandon have improved greatly under Kevin’s leadership,” Salmi said. “Kevin is a hands-on leader who is committed to the principles of performance in everything he does, and we are pleased to promote him to president of Crimson Fire and further expand his role."
“Crimson continues to work to take advantage of competitive opportunities in the emergency-rescue marketplace. Backlog grew during 2007 as Crimson significantly expanded its distribution network in North America, improved delivery times and introduced a revolutionary new product with the Boomer™.”
Crump brings more than 20 years of manufacturing and management expertise to Crimson, the majority of it in heavy-duty vehicles. He has experience in production, engineering, purchasing, strategic sourcing, logistics, materials management, quality assurance and related areas.
Prior to joining Crimson, he served as director of operations for Seagrave Fire Apparatus where he was responsible for the production of its complete line-up of customized vehicles. During his tenure at Seagrave, he instituted systems to streamline the manufacturing process for highly customized fire apparatus.
He has also served as vice president of operations for Optima Bus Corp., a manufacturer of urban and suburban transit buses. During his tenure with the Kansas manufacturer, he was responsible for improving productivity, reducing material costs and improving inventory turns.
Crump also spent significant time with Nova Bus, a manufacturer of urban and suburban heavy-duty transit buses owned by Volvo. He held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility at the company, which had operations in the United States and Canada.
About Crimson Fire
Crimson Fire is a leading manufacturer of custom fire trucks and other rescue vehicles. A subsidiary of Spartan Motors, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPAR), Crimson Fire is committed to quality, value and innovation. Drawing on more than 130 years of excellence in fire truck manufacturing, Crimson Fire manufactures a full line of pumpers, rescues, aerials, quick-attack vehicles and other emergency-rescue vehicles from its facilities in Pennsylvania and South Dakota. For more information, visit www.crimson-fire.com.
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