RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Green Automotive Co. (GAC) has signed a binding agreement to buy California and Mexico-based Blackhawk Manufacturing Inc. and its affiliated companies. Blackhawk is one of the foremost manufacturers of specialist composite materials with facilities in Bloomington, Calif., and Tijuana, Mexico, generating sales of approximately $5 million per year.
 
Green Automotive is a niche vehicle design, engineering, manufacturing and sales company, focused on the use of cutting edge zero and low emission technologies.
 
Blackhawk is a privately owned company that was founded in 1994 and operates from two production sites it owns: a 10-acre site in California (which GAC will have a binding option to purchase) and a 3-acre site in Mexico (which will be acquired when this agreement closes). The company focuses on the production of custom parts for clients throughout the U.S. and South America, using open mold (fiberglass) thermoforming, injected urethane and resin infusion techniques.
 
Blackhawk has pioneered the latest manufacturing techniques, and its use of resin infusion is a good example of this, according to Green Automotive. By enclosing the mold with a rubber bag and creating a vacuum, the resin is then injected to create panels of a higher and more consistent standard that are lighter and use 60 percent less resin, with virtually zero emissions when compared to more traditional techniques.
 
Commenting on the agreement, Ian Hobday, CEO of Green Automotive Co., said, “Blackhawk has been supplying our Newport Coachworks business since we started, and we’ve been very impressed with their performance, delivery and customer support. The vertical integration of the Blackhawk business into Green Automotive secures our supply chain, offers new growth opportunities, brings skilled management to the team and provides us with room to expand as our business continues to grow. Several parts of the GAC business will benefit from the facilities that Blackhawk provides, and in addition, we also anticipate good growth from their operations through the acquisition of new clients.”
 
Floyd Sanders, president of Blackhawk, said, “This is an exciting step in the development of our business. We’re pleased to become a part of the GAC group of companies and look forward to working with them to enhance our growth opportunities. Since our facility in Bloomington is only a mile and half from GAC’s Riverside operation, we expect to have a very close working relationship with Carter Read and his team there.”