High-speed blowers ideally suited to airport’s diverse snow removal requirements
OSHKOSH, WIS. (February 3, 2009) – Oshkosh Airport Products, a division of Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK], announced that it delivered two Oshkosh® H- Series™ high-speed blower vehicles to Pulkovo International Airport (LED) in St. Petersburg, Russia. The snow blowers were put into service in December 2008.
The Oshkosh H-Series vehicles replaced European-style blowers of lower capacity. Both Oshkosh high-speed blowers feature a 470 hp chassis engine and 650 hp dedicated blower engine that can throw as much as 5,000 tons (4,534 metric tons) of snow per hour. The blower’s unique hydrostatic-drive ribbon is driven independently from the mechanically driven impeller to allow it to more effectively handle variable snow conditions.
“The Oshkosh global product development strategy for the H-Series platform continues to gain momentum around the globe, including important regions such as Russia, where we already have vehicles on duty at Domodedovo Airport in Moscow,” said Tim Raupp, Oshkosh Corporation Airport Products Group president.
“This order from Pulkovo International is a tremendous vote of confidence in both Oshkosh Airport Products and the local support provided by our dealer – CAVAG.” The H-Series snow blowers also offer Command Zone™advanced electronics with an LCD dash pod and Russian language displays and readouts. Moreover, the units feature proprietary, ALL STEER® electronic all-wheel steering systems for unsurpassed maneuverability.
The H-Series provides built-in, advanced safety features, including an emergency stop button for the blower engine and head, a joystick that engages only when the driver is ready, safety interlocks and on-dash error messages that provide valuable safety information to operators.
Pulkovo International is the former Leningrad Airport and is situated 17 km (10.5 miles) south of St. Petersburg’s city center. Located on the Baltic Sea, the airport is the third busiest commercial airport in Russia. The region endures varying conditions that result in a wide range of snows. With its new Oshkosh Airport H-Series™ Snow Blower vehicles, Pulkovo 2 International will be better equipped to face the dry and blowing blizzards, as well as the heavy and wet snowstorms.
Oshkosh dealer CAVAG, located in Moscow, Russia, will provide local service and support. The dealership features factory-trained technicians who have completed H-Series product and operational training.
About Oshkosh Airport Products
The Oshkosh Airport Group, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is a designer and builder of industry-leading airport firefighting and snow removal vehicles. Its flagship Striker® Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicle and Oshkosh® H-Series™ snow removal chassis are known for their durability and superior performance and sold throughout the world. For more information, visit www.oshkoshairport.com.
About Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Corporation [NYSE: OSK], is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a broad range of specialty access equipment, commercial, fire & emergency and military vehicles and vehicle bodies. Oshkosh Corp. manufactures, distributes and services products under the brands of Oshkosh®, JLG®, Pierce®, McNeilus®, Medtec®, Jerr-Dan®, BAI®, Oshkosh Specialty Vehicles, Frontline™, SMIT™, Geesink™, Norba™, Kiggen™, CON-E-CO™, London® and IMT®. Oshkosh products are valued worldwide in businesses where high quality, superior performance, rugged reliability and long-term value are paramount. For more information, log on to www.oshkoshcorporation.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains statements that the Company believes to be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s future financial position, business strategy, targets, projected sales, costs, earnings, capital expenditures, debt levels and cash flows, and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “should,” “project” or “plan” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include the consequences of financial leverage associated with the JLG acquisition, especially given turmoil in the credit markets, the level of the Company’s borrowing costs and the Company’s ability to successfully amend its credit agreement to provide financial covenant relief; the cyclical nature of the Company’s access equipment, commercial and fire & emergency markets, especially during a global recession and credit crisis; the Company’s ability to obtain cost reductions on steel and other raw materials following sharp cost increases in 2008, obtain other cost decreases or achieve product selling price increases; the duration of the global recession and its adverse impact on the Company’s share price, which could lead to impairment charges related to many of the Company’s intangible assets; the expected level and timing of U.S. Department of Defense procurement of products and services and funding thereof; risks related to reductions in government expenditures and the uncertainty of government contracts; risks associated with international operations and sales, including foreign currency fluctuations; the Company’s ability to turn around its Geesink business; risks related to the collectibility of receivables during a recession, especially access equipment receivables; and the potential for increased costs relating to compliance with changes in laws and regulations. Additional information concerning these and other factors is contained in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
# # #
