Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK) today announced it was informed by the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) of its decision regarding the
protest of the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) contract,
awarded to Oshkosh on August 26. The majority of the protesters’ claims
were denied, including challenges to the evaluation of the Oshkosh
Corporation price.
"At Oshkosh, we appreciate the GAO’s thorough review and welcome the
Army’s re-evaluation of the two narrow issues recommended for
reconsideration. We believe that our FMTV offer was, and continues to
be, the best value for the U.S. Army, our troops and the U.S. taxpayer,”
said Robert G. Bohn, Oshkosh Corporation chairman and chief executive
officer. "It is important to realize that today’s decision did not
recommend proposal revisions nor did it recommend termination of our
contract.”
Bohn added, "We believe that when these narrow issues are reconsidered,
the Army’s decision to award Oshkosh Corporation the FMTV contract will
be maintained.”
Oshkosh Corporation will continue to lean forward on the FMTV program,
including preparation for the construction of a new 150,000-square-foot
electrocoat (E-Coat) paint facility at its Oshkosh, Wis., campus in
support of FMTV production and possibly other Oshkosh vehicle programs.
Oshkosh remains the only current manufacturer of both medium and heavy
tactical wheeled vehicles in the U.S. defense industry, having produced
more than 70,000 military-class vehicles in its manufacturing
facilities. Oshkosh Corporation’s proven production capabilities were
recently recognized by the National Center for Advanced Technologies
(NCAT), which awarded Oshkosh with a 2009 Defense Manufacturing
Excellence Award for its M-ATV launch team, which has exceeded delivery
requirements for every month since the contract award on June 30, 2009.
About Oshkosh Defense
Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation, is an
industry-leading global designer and manufacturer of tactical military
trucks and armored wheeled vehicles, delivering a full product line of
conventional and hybrid vehicles, advanced armor options, proprietary
suspensions and vehicles with payloads that can exceed 70 tons. Oshkosh
Defense provides a global service and supply network including full
life-cycle support and remanufacturing, and its vehicles are recognized
the world over for superior performance, reliability and protection. For
more information, visit www.oshkoshdefense.com.
About Oshkosh Corporation
Oshkosh Corporation 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™, 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.
®, ™ All brand names referred to in this news release are
trademarks of Oshkosh Corporation or its subsidiary companies.
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 risks related to the required increase
in the rate of production for the M-ATV contract and the amount, if any,
of additional orders for M-ATVs that the Company may receive; the
cyclical nature of the Company’s access equipment, commercial and fire &
emergency markets, especially during a global recession and credit
crisis; the duration of the global recession, which could lead to
additional 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,
including the outcome of the formal protests of the Family of Medium
Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) award to the Company; risks related to
reductions in government expenditures and the uncertainty of government
contracts; the consequences of financial leverage associated with the
JLG acquisition, which could limit the Company’s ability to pursue
various opportunities; risks related to the collectability of
receivables during a recession, particularly for those businesses with
exposure to construction markets; risks related to production delays as
a result of the economy’s impact on the Company’s suppliers; the
potential for commodity costs to rise sharply, including in a future
economic recovery; risks associated with international operations and
sales, including foreign currency fluctuations; 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. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of
this press release. The Company assumes no obligation, and disclaims any
obligation, to update information contained in this press release.