Snugtop has joined the Truck Accessories Group (TAG) family of companies. The aim is for Snugtop fleet customers to now be served more efficiently through increased capacity, reduced turn-around time, and reduced freight costs.

Snugtop is able to trace its roots back to its beginnings in 1959 when it built hardtops for European sports cars under the banner of Custom Hardtops. By the 1970s, the company expanded its product line to include caps for a wide range of full-size pickup trucks. In 1989, the company was acquired by Hartmut Schroeder and his management team, expanding into the commercial market in the 1990s, offering tonneau covers and toppers for fleet applications.

TAG is a manufacturer of fiberglass and aluminum truck caps and tonneaus. Before the acquisition of Snugtop, the group was comprised of six companies: LEER, Pace Edwards, Century, Raider, StateWide Windows, and Waypoint Logistics. Together, these companies have manufacturing plants in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Washington, and California and sell through more than 1,300 independent dealers to individuals, small businesses, new car and truck dealerships, and fleet operators. 

Joining Forces

With the rich history of both companies, Snugtop found TAG to be the resource it needed to continue to grow and serve its growing customer base.

“Snugtop is the oldest truck cap manufacturer in the country having been established in Long Beach, Calif., in 1959. There has been tremendous consolidation in the industry in the past few years and it was time for Snugtop to enlarge its domestic footprint, become part of a larger national entity, and add much-needed resources,” said Dennis Bowe, VP of sales, Commercial Division for Snugtop. “Snugtop brings innovative products and longstanding relationships to the TAG organization. It’s a merger of two very compatible companies that will now combine their individual strengths to become a dominating force in the commercial and consumer truck cap business,” Bowe said.

According to Bowe, “Many things the industry has come to value when working with Snugtop will remain unchanged. The company will be operated out of Long Beach, with many of the same dedicated people our customers have dealt with and appreciated for decades.”

Customers currently working with Snugtop can rest assured that the transition will be as seamless as possible, Bowe noted.

“Sometimes change is good, welcome, and actually needed. TAG and Snugtop were looking for synergies that would benefit our customers and help the organization grow. Snugtop, located in Southern California, had limited reach logistically; however, by taking advantage of TAG’s manufacturing facilities in the Midwest and East Coast, our fleet customers can now be served more efficiently through increased capacity, reduced turn-around time, and lower freight cost,” Bowe said.

The Bottom Line

Snugtop sees this change as a positive path toward its continued growth.

“If there ever was an example of the classic ‘win-win’ situation then this must be it. Our goal is to continue listening to our customers and provide innovative, high-quality products at a competitive price. Through close collaboration with our customers, Snugtop is finding new solutions to their challenges to keep fleet vehicles stylish and highly organized. This mission has become easier to be accomplished with the added resources provided by TAG,” Bowe concluded.