Assembled Products Maintains Steady Track

Assembled Products Corp. in Rogers has wheeled through 18 successful years of selling electric carts, mobile desks and commercial spray washers. Company President George Panter said he expects company growth this year to be 7-8 percent.

Although he had hoped for a larger increase, he said “with the economy the way it is, I think that’s a pretty respectable growth.”

So far, he said, Assembled Products sales haven’t been affected by the economic downturn, because the company’s products aren’t simply luxuries. The company receives pre-made pieces and assembles the finished product at an 88,000-SF campus in Rogers.

Assembled Products’ electric cart lines, of which Mart Cart and Martmate are the most popular, generate 70 percent of the firm’s sales, Panter said. Last year, the company sold about 5,700 carts to grocery and discount chains including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Safeway Inc., Lowe’s Home Center, Food Lion, ASDA and Publix grocers.

The plant operates one shift that produces an average of 110 carts per week. Each cart uses about 70 pounds of steel.

A new model of electric cart, the XTI, soon will be introduced into Assembled Products’ lineup. The cart will last longer and require less maintenance than its predecessors, Panter said. Currently, carts last 5-11 years each, depending on how much they are used.

Panter said company founder Bill Sage built the first Mart Cart in his garage for his grandmother in 1983. That year, Sage sold six carts at the Food Manufacturing Institute’s trade show.

Exhibits such as Sage’s have proven to be powerful marketing tools for Assembled Products. Panter said the company’s products get exposure at 12-14 annual trade shows. Two of the 103 Assembled Products employees are responsible for attending the shows.

Two police chief trade shows help market Assembled Products’ fastest growing product line: Jotto Desk. Police departments are the largest consumers for the computer platforms, which are installed in the officers’ cars. Sales of the plastic vehicle desks make up 15 percent of the company’s gross income and almost doubled since last year, Panter said. He expects sales to double again within two years.

To meet the growing demand for Jotto Desks, Assembled Products will soon move the production line to a 10,000-SF building on Easy Street in Rogers. The structure formerly housed The Printing Center and will increase the Jotto Desk area by 2,500 SF.

Spray Master Technologies products — commercial spray washers used mainly for restaurants, hospitals and grocery stores — account for the remaining 15 percent of Assembled Products total sales.

Spray-wash systems range in price from $3,000-$4,000 to $20,000-$25,000, Panter said. Many rigs include a centrally located water pump and several wall-mounted remote sites.

Panter said a convenience store owner who wanted three spray stations would pay about $4,000 to retrofit the building with the system.

International sales already generate 8 percent of the company’s income, and Panter said overseas ventures are becoming more active.