Curt Manufacturing Overview
Curt Manufacturing a diversified manufacturer of components for recreational vehicles, manufactured housing, and adjacent transportation markets. LCI Industries acquired Curt Group — the parent entity of Curt Manufacturing — in 2019 for approximately $341 million, integrating it into LCI's Aftermarket segment. This acquisition extended LCI's reach beyond RV OEM supply into the broader towing, hauling, and utility vehicle accessories market across North America and select international markets, including Europe through Curt's existing distribution infrastructure. Curt Manufacturing holds a prominent position in the towing and trailer hitch ecosystem that directly serves the Heavy equipment and utility vehicle segment. Its core product portfolio includes receiver hitches, fifth-wheel and gooseneck hitches, weight-distribution systems, brake controllers, trailer wiring harnesses, and cargo management accessories — all engineered to support heavy-duty towing applications used with trucks, SUVs, and purpose-built utility vehicles. The company's product lines span commercial fleet operators, agricultural equipment haulers, and government utility vehicle fleets, positioning Curt as a full-system towing solutions provider rather than a single-component supplier. Its broad SKU catalog and compatibility coverage across major OEM vehicle platforms give it a competitive advantage in aftermarket channel penetration. Following LCI Industries' 2019 acquisition, Curt Manufacturing's strategic direction has focused on expanding its aftermarket distribution network and deepening OEM supply relationships relevant to utility and work-truck platforms. LCI has consistently invested in Curt's product development capabilities to address the growing demand for electric vehicle towing compatibility — a critical growth vector as commercial and utility EV platforms proliferate. LCI's 2023 and 2024 annual reports highlight the Aftermarket segment, which houses Curt, as a strategic priority for margin improvement and channel diversification, with ongoing efforts to grow e-commerce and specialty retail presence alongside traditional wholesale distribution.
Curt Manufacturing's products serve a customer base that includes national retail chains such as Walmart, Amazon, and specialty automotive retailers, as well as fleet procurement channels used by municipalities, construction firms, and agricultural operators who rely on utility vehicles for equipment transport. The brand's extensive fitment database covering thousands of vehicle applications reinforces its position as a default towing hardware supplier across the utility and work vehicle aftermarket.
Strategy
Curt Manufacturing, operating as a key towing and trailering products subsidiary within LCI Industries, pursues a portfolio-broadening strategy in the heavy equipment and utility vehicles market by extending its hitch, fifth-wheel, and weight-distribution product lines to serve commercial, agricultural, and utility-vehicle end users—segments where competitors such as Horizon Global (Reese and Draw-Tite brands) and B&W Trailer Hitches compete directly for OEM and aftermarket share. LCI Industries' 2022 Annual Report and subsequent earnings calls identify Curt's commercial and utility channel expansion as a deliberate growth lever, with management citing diversification beyond recreational towing as a priority to offset RV-market cyclicality. Curt's primary competitive differentiator lies in its vertically integrated manufacturing footprint and broad SKU depth—spanning Class I through Class V hitches and gooseneck systems—which enables rapid fitment coverage for new utility-vehicle platforms entering the North American market. The principal growth lever being pulled is channel and product-line extension into the commercial utility segment, supported by targeted acquisitions and distribution partnerships that deepen Curt's reach with fleet operators and equipment dealers.
