Special Service & Homeland Security Vehicle Manufacturing In North America

Special Service & Homeland Security Vehicle Manufacturing in North America: Size, segmentation, trends, growth, channels, competitive shares and structure underlying the manufacture of different types of special service vehicles in North America

This report addresses the manufacture of vehicles used in special service applications in North America, many of which have recently been designated for homeland security use.

The increased focus on homeland security post-9/11 has significantly increased opportunities for companies manufacturing all types of vehicles; many departments and communities are now willing to invest in what was once considered a luxury. Grants from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, for partial or full financing of these vehicles, have played a major role in boosting demand.

Municipal markets for fire, emergency and special service vehicles in North America are expected to remain brisk in the near future, though not at the torrid pace following 9/11. Export markets have also begun to open up. China is becoming an important export destination, as it looks to strengthen its emergency response capabilities prior to hosting the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Countries in the Middle East have also been importing emergency vehicles, including fire apparatus, from North American manufacturers.

There are over one hundred manufacturers of these types of vehicles in the US and Canada. A distinguishing characteristic of manufacturers in this segment is their ability to manufacture vehicles for a large range of applications, from small search/rescue vehicles to large and complex command centers/SWAT vehicles and emergency responders, as well as vehicles catering to applications outside the special service segment.

Vehicles in this segment are highly customized, particularly for products such as high-end mobile command centers. These can range in price from $200,000 to $1,500,000, and no two such products are identical. There is a very high degree of interaction between the manufacturer and the customer throughout the design and production process, with the manufacturer often incorporating changes as the vehicle assembly progresses.

High-end products costing upwards of $400,000 are manufactured by only a handful of players. However, barriers to entry for simpler products, such as light-duty rescue trucks and small command centers, are low. There are numerous small manufacturers that primarily manufacture other types of truck bodies, but also produce a few Special Service Vehicles as part of their product mix.

There has been significant convergence of emergency vehicle applications in recent years, leading to manufacture of more multi-purpose vehicles. Increasingly, emergency calls to police and fire departments are related to health emergencies, resulting in a growing overlap between ambulances, emergency responders and rescue vehicles. Another major change post-9/11 is the way agencies respond to emergencies, with increased co-operation, interaction and cohesiveness between police, fire, hospitals and health departments, as well as county emergency management agencies taking a regional approach, sharing resources and equipment with neighboring counties.

These and other aspects of the industry are highlighted in this pioneering report by SpecialtyVehicles.net (“SVN”). The key objective of this report is to present a picture of the competitive landscape and rigorously document “who is who” in the business of manufacturing vehicles used for special service applications.

Vehicles of interest:

• Mobile Command Centers
• SWAT Vehicles, Cash-in-Transit Vehicles, Prisoner Transport Vehicles, Armored Vehicles, MRAP Vehicles
• Hazmat Vehicles, Decontamination Vehicles & Bomb/Explosive Ordnance Disposal Vehicles

Article appeared in Markets and Reseach