Lippert Acquires Freedman, A Leading Transportation Seating Supplier

LCI Industries, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Lippert Components, Inc. (Lippert), a supplier of engineered components to the recreation and transportation markets, has announced that it has acquired substantially all of the business assets of Freedman Seating Company (Freedman), an Illinois-based manufacturer of transportation seating solutions.

“For over 130 years, Freedman has provided a variety of seating solutions to the bus, rail, marine, delivery truck, specialty and commercial vehicle markets,” according to a press release. “A family-owned company since 1894, Freedman’s seat manufacturing roots date back to the horse drawn carriage. Today, they are a leading supplier of seating solutions for a multitude of bus OEMs, distributors, the federal government and many states and municipalities.

“Following the acquisition, Freedman’s seating operations will continue in Chicago for the foreseeable future, honoring its longstanding ties to the local workforce and community partners.”

The release added: “Lippert is no stranger to the bus and transportation vehicle markets, providing window and glass solutions to these industries for over 12 years. In March of this year, Lippert completed the acquisition of Trans Air, a manufacturer of climate control systems for the commercial bus industry. The addition of Freedman continues to build upon Lippert’s diversification strategy into the transportation vehicle markets, giving them a comprehensive product offering to a very familiar customer base.”

Ryan Smith, Group President of Lippert’s North American OEM Operations, said he is excited to continue the expansion into these new markets.

“We are pleased to welcome the Freedman team to the Lippert family. Between the two companies, we have almost 200 years combined of family leadership and there’s not too many organizations that can make that claim,” Smith said. “We’re excited to add Freedman’s seating line to our growing portfolio of bus and transportation vehicle products, and with our combined leadership teams we will be able to offer a better-than-ever customer experience to our partners in these industries.”

Andrew Pocock, Lippert’s EVP of Building and Transportation Products, commented: “We are excited to add the Freedman legacy to the Lippert family. Together, we can provide an elevated experience to our customer partners through our combined product offerings in the transportation vehicle market. I know both the Lippert and Freedman teams are looking forward to hitting the ground running in the coming months.”

Craig Freedman, CEO, commented on his family company’s new chapter: “We’re excited that we’ve found a future with Lippert. They’ve expressed admiration for what we’ve built and want to help us grow it in ways that honor our mission and values. This acquisition gives us the opportunity to build on our legacy, expand our reach, and invest even more in our team.”

Visit freedmanseating.com.