The Shyft Group, Inc.—a North American leader in specialty vehicle manufacturing, assembly, and upfit for the commercial, retail, and service specialty vehicle markets, headquartered in Novi, Michigan—has announced it has completed the acquisition of XL Fleet.
The acquisition includes the option to extend employment opportunities to XL Fleet technical talent, assume a short-term leased facility including equipment in Wixom, Michigan, and support the completion of a pilot development agreement with the Department of Defense.
“Blue Arc, which Shyft unveiled at NTEA Work Truck Week last year, brings fleet electrification solutions that leverage our 50 years of experience in last-mile delivery, a noteworthy anniversary which we celebrate this year,” said Daryl Adams, the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Shyft Group. “The response to Blue Arc’s commercial-grade offering has been strong. With the ramp-up of EV production in 2023, we welcome the opportunity to integrate talent and discrete assets that will help us charge ahead to meet the electrification needs of our customers.”
Added Eric Fisher, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Shyft Innovations: “We are thrilled to integrate this team, equipment, and the facility into our growing EV business. It’s always been part of our plan to expand the team as we move toward production and we feel fortunate that the timing worked out to allow us to bring significant talent in this way. We expect it to help accelerate our build-out capability.”
The incoming team members will be based either in Plymouth or the 24,655-square-foot Wixom Technology Center which will continue to be used for technical and test work as Shyft evaluates how the facility best complements its footprint going forward.
The DOD pilot program Shyft assumed as part of the acquisition supports the completion of an awarded contract by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) of the Department of Defense and the US Army’s Project Manager Transportation Systems (PMTS) to prototype a fuel-saving technology for military vehicles. Shyft will help complete the application of sustainable fleet vehicle technologies that can extend the operational range of military tactical vehicles while supporting troops’ safety and providing significant fuel and operating cost savings and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Company information is available at www.TheShyftGroup.com.