CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. -- (Business Wire)

VIPAR Heavy Duty and Accuride Corporation (NYSE: ACW) jointly announced today the completion of a new three year agreement. Under the agreement, VIPAR Heavy Duty will offer Accuride Wheels^TM, Gunite^® wheel-end components and Imperial Group products.

"VIPAR Heavy Duty has had a long term relationship with Accuride Corporation in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico," said Steve Crowley, president and CEO, VIPAR Heavy Duty. “This new agreement recognizes the strong commitment that Accuride continues to show in the aftermarket through their investment in the infrastructure and personnel to support this program."

Products in the program include wheel band spacers, steel and aluminum wheels, and demountable rims from Accuride Wheels; brake drums, spoke wheels, air disc brakes, rotors, disc wheel hubs and automatic slack adjusters from Gunite; and Imperial fuel tanks, in-frame battery boxes and custom fit bumpers.

“Accuride is proud of our long-standing support of VIPAR, its stockholders and customers,” said Rick Dauch, President and CEO of Accuride Corporation. “The quality and geographic alignment of VIPAR stockholders ensures a strong distribution channel across North America for our products and make this agreement a win for both organizations. Accuride’s strategic focus on delivering more dependable performance for VIPAR and our Aftermarket customers led us to invest more than $150 million in operational improvements in our business in 2011-2013. The resulting step-change gains we’re seeing in our quality, delivery, and lead time performance make long-term agreements like this possible."

For more information on VIPAR Heavy Duty, visit www.vipar.com or e-mail: info@vipar.com. For more information on Accuride Corporation, visit www.AccurideCorp.com.

About VIPAR Heavy Duty

VIPAR Heavy Duty is North America’s leading network of independent aftermarket truck parts distributors. VIPAR Heavy Duty distributors serve the needs of their customers from over 500 locations across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. VIPAR Heavy Duty distributors are specialists who understand the demands of their local, regional, and national customers for quality parts and exceptional service. For more information, visit www.vipar.com.

About Accuride

With headquarters in Evansville, Ind., Accuride Corporation (NYSE: ACW) is a leading supplier of components to the North American commercial vehicle industry. The company’s products include commercial vehicle wheels, wheel-end components and assemblies, truck body and chassis parts, and other commercial vehicle components. The company’s products are marketed under its brand names, which include Accuride^®, Accuride Wheel End Solutions^TM, Gunite^®, Imperial^TM and Brillion^TM. For more information, visit www.AccurideCorp.com.

Contacts:

For Further Product Information, Contact:
VIPAR Heavy Duty
Jeff Paul, Director of Marketing, 815-893-5965
jpaul@vipar.com
or
For Further PR Information, Contact:
VIPAR Heavy Duty, Inc.:
The Marx Group
Gary McCoy, Public Relations Director, 847-622-7228
Email: gmccoy@themarxgrp.com
or
Accuride Corporation:
Accuride Corporation Public Affairs
Timothy G. Weir, APR, 812-962-5128
Email: tweir@accuridecorp.com

Source: Accuride Corporation