Clarience Technologies Announces Addition of Ranger Design to Enhance Commercial Vehicle Upfit Solutions Capabilities

SOUTHFIELD, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 27, 2025--

Clarience Technologies, a global provider of visibility and safety and digital technology solutions for transportation, adds Ranger Design, a leading manufacturer of high-quality upfitting solutions for commercial vehicles to its team of companies. This addition strengthens Clarience Technologies' position as a premier provider of work truck solutions and extends its capabilities as a trusted upfit solutions provider.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250127360480/en/

Brian Kupchella, CEO of Clarience Technologies , says, "We are excited to welcome Ranger Design to the Clarience Technologies team of companies. This acquisition aligns with our vision to provide visionary technology for all transportation, to help make the world safer and create superior value for our customers and the communities we serve.”

Ranger Design is renowned for its complete suite of upfitting solutions that enhance the efficiency and safety of work trucks. Its commitment to the customer experience through product quality, innovation, reliability and speed of delivery makes Ranger Design a sought-after brand for commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, and major fleets.

Ranger Design joins other prominent Clarience Technologies brands serving the commercial vehicle market such as Truck-Lite, Safe Fleet, Pressure Systems International, DAVCO, Prime Design, American Van, ECCO, and Rear View Safety. Collaboration with these leading brands creates a winning value proposition for all fleet operators looking for high-quality, engineered upfit solutions.

Ron Cowie, CEO of Ranger Design , emphasized the benefits to the commercial vehicle market, saying, "Joining Clarience Technologies is a significant milestone for Ranger Design. This partnership will allow us to leverage combined resources and expertise to better serve our customers. Together, we will continue to innovate and provide the highest quality upfit solutions that meet the evolving needs of the industry."

The acquisition of Ranger Design underscores Clarience Technologies' commitment to excellence and customer-centric solutions. Customers can expect enhanced access to a broader range of products and services that enhance operational efficiency and fleet safety.

About Clarience Technologies: Clarience Technologies is a global leader of visibility, safety and digital technologies for transportation. Born from a collection of premium brands each with a long track record of innovation, its solutions include vehicle lighting, camera and vision systems, telematics and safety solutions that protect our world and our livelihoods by keeping people, assets and businesses safe, secure and productive. Its team of companies includes Truck-Lite, DAVCO, Road Ready, RIGID, Lumitec, ECCO, Code 3, LED Autolamps, Pressure Systems International, Safe Fleet and Ranger Design. For more information, visit www.clariencetechnologies.com.

About Ranger Design: Established in 1988, Ranger Design is the brainchild of two brothers with a shared passion for innovation and service. Offering leading-edge van storage systems and turnkey solutions for the past 35 years for fleets, OEMs and tradespeople, Ranger Design has been committed to developing tough, innovative products to help fleet tradespeople work more efficiently and safely. With factories in Montreal (Canada), Rochester (NY), Seattle (WA), and Ladson (SC), plus its network of over 200 resellers across North America, Ranger Design has progressed far beyond its humble beginnings. For more info visit www.rangerdesign.com.

(Photo: Business Wire)

Ranger Design offers leading-edge van storage systems and turnkey solutions for the past 35 years for fleets, OEMs and tradespeople, Ranger Design has been committed to developing tough, innovative products to help fleet tradespeople work more efficiently and safely. With factories in Montreal (Canada), Rochester (NY), Seattle (WA), and Ladson (SC), plus its network of over 200 resellers across North America, Ranger Design has progressed far beyond its humble beginnings. For more info visit www.rangerdesign.com.

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Saudi warplanes have reportedly struck on Friday forces in southern Yemen backed by the United Arab Emirates, a separatist leader says.

This comes as a Saudi-led operation attempts to take over camps of the Southern Transitional Council, or STC, in the governorate of Haramout that borders Saudi Arabia.

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE rose after the STC moved last month into Yemen’s governorates of Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. The move pushed out forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, a group aligned with the coalition in fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen accused the head of the STC of blocking a Saudi mediation delegation from landing in the southern city of Aden.

The STC deputy and former Hamdrmout governor, Ahmed bin Breik, said in a statement that the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces advanced toward the camps, but the separatists refused to withdraw, apparently leading to the airstrikes.

Mohamed al-Nakib, spokesperson for the STC-backed Southern Shield Forces, also known as Dera Al-Janoub, said Saudi airstrikes caused fatalities, without providing details. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that claim.

Al-Nakib also accused Saudi Arabia in a video on X of using “Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda militias” in a "large-scale attack " early Friday that he claimed sepratists were able to repel.

He likened the latest developments to Yemen’s 1994 civil war, “except that this time it is under the cover of Saudi aviation operations.”

Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of Hadramout who was chosen Friday by Yemen's internationally recognized government to command the Saudi-led forces in the governorate, refuted STC claims, calling them “ridiculous” and showing intentions of escalation instead of a peaceful handover, according Okaz newspaper, which is aligned with the Saudi government.

Earlier on Friday, al-khanbashi called the current operation of retrieving seized areas “peaceful.”

“This operation is not a declaration of war and does not seek escalation,” al-Khanbashi said in a speech aired on state media. “This is a responsible pre-emptive measure to remove weapons and prevent chaos and the camps from being used to undermine the security in Hadramout,” he added.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen demands the withdrawal of STC forces from the two governorates as part of de-escalation efforts. The STC has so far refused to hand over its weapons and camps.

The coalition's spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Friday on X that Saudi-backed naval forces were deployed across the Arabian Sea to carry out inspections and combat smuggling.

In his post on X, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, said the kingdom had tried “all efforts with STC” for weeks "to stop the escalation" and to urge the separatists to leave Hadramout and Mahra, only to be faced with “continued intransigence and rejection from Aidarous al-Zubaidi," the STC head.

Al-Jaber said the latest development was not permitting the Saudi delegation's jet to land in Aden, despite having agreed on its arrival with some STC leaders to find a solution that serves “everyone and the public interest.”

Yemen’s transport ministry, aligned with STC, said Saudi Arabia imposed on Thursday requirements mandating that flights to and from Aden International Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah. The ministry expressed “shock” and denounced the decision. There was no confirmation from Saudi authorities.

ِA spokesperson with the transport ministry told the AP late Thursday that all flights from and to the UAE were suspended until Saudi Arabia reverses these reported measures.

Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war for more than a decade, with the Houthis controlling much of the northern regions, while a Saudi-UAE-backed coalition supports the internationally recognized government in the south. However, the UAE also helps the southern separatists who call for South Yemen to secede once again from Yemen. Those aligned with the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967-1990.

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Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.

Southern Yemen soldiers of Southern Transitional Council (STC) at a check point, in Aden, Yemen, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo)