Manchester trailer manufacturer sold

XL Specialized Trailers of Manchester, a manufacturer of customized heavy-haul trailers, has been sold to a Chesterfield, Mo., company.

Bull Moose Industries, a North American manufacturing group owned by Caparo of India, plans to continue operating XL Specialized Trailers under existing management at its Manchester plant. Caparo is the diversified global industrial interests of British Indian businessman Swraj Paul.

Financial details of the XL purchase were not disclosed.

XL Specialized Trailers, with about 200 employees, has grown from its founding in 1995 to become the second-largest manufacturer of customized heavy-haul trailers for the commercial, construction, agricultural, wind energy, oil and gas and custom transportation markets.

'We are confident that the purchase of XL Specialized Trailers provides both of our companies with a solid opportunity for growth,” said Michael Blatz, CEO of Bull Moose Industries, in a news release. 'Our companies share a commitment to quality and innovation, and we are both leaders in our respective industries.

Steve Fairbanks, CEO of XL Specialized Trailers, said the purchase by Bull Moose Industries will help broaden the company's opportunities in the customized heavy-haul trailer industry.

'We are especially pleased that the deal allows our management team and all of our employees to conduct business as usual here in Manchester,” Fairbanks said in the news release.

Founded in 1962 as Bull Moose Tube Co., Bull Moose Industries has built on its success as a manufacturer of tube steel by focusing on continued growth. In connection with the purchase of XL, Bull Moose Industries has formed a new business unit, Bull Moose Mobility, as it continues to aggregate companies of similar products and services.

Blatz said XL Specialized Trailers will anchor Bull Moose Mobility.

'We feel that diversification through acquisitions like XL is a solid path for ensuring our company's continued success, and we are equally committed to the core business that got us here,” Blatz said. 'Due to the economic base that Bull Moose Tube provides, we have been able to increase capacity in our sprinkler division and continue to invest in our core business, while keeping an eye on growth and expansion.”