Company History

In March 1989, Daws Manufacturing Company, Inc. was established and purchased Betterbuilt Co. Following this acquisition, a second Florida aluminum truck toolbox manufacturing company was acquired in June 1990 - the automotive division of Aluminum Fabricated Products, the original aluminum truck toolbox manufacturer in the United States. In September 1992, Daws Manufacturing Co., Inc. moved to its present corporate home at 8811 Grow Drive, Ellyson Industrial Park, in Pensacola, Florida. The manufacturing operations building and office facilities allowed Daws to have all manufacturing phases of the AFP and Better Built® product lines in one location. A third division, Better Built® Accessories, was established in 1992 to provide quality aluminum truck bed accessories for Daws' customers. December 1994 brought another addition with a sales/distribution center opening in Las Vegas, Nevada. Increased business and the need for enhanced service for the West Coast necessitated this expansion. In February 1995, Daws acquired Road Quest from Fabwell, Inc. This 13-year old firm, based in Elkhart, Indiana, produced automotive aftermarket products of aluminum. Road Quest also produced several composite material products in its facility. Monroe Bulldog Truck Accessories in Parsons, Tennessee was acquired in September 1995 adding to the automotive aftermarket group. Known for top-quality tubular products in steel, Bulldog Truck Accessories had emerged as the leader of these products in the U.S. In December 1996, a division of Everybody’s Truck Accessories in Grand Junction, Colorado was acquired. This company was the preeminent innovator and manufacturer of stainless steel hood shields in the U.S. marketplace. The Las Vegas distribution center moved to Henderson, Nevada in February 1999 in order to double the available space as now required by the West Coast customer base. The addition of a truck box manufacturing facility in Juarez, Mexico in fall, 1999 positioned Daws to increase the volume of products flowing to the West. It also allowed the Pensacola location to serve customers in other sections of the country better and faster. In 2000 the Elkhart location was closed moving all manufacturing and distribution processes to Pensacola in order to increase customer service efficiencies. In 2003 an expansion was completed in Juarez that tripled available space and allowed a doubling of production capability. Additional warehouse space was contracted in Santa Theresa, New Mexico to provide a buffer facility for both raw materials into Juarez and finished products coming out of Juarez. The Henderson facility was closed and Santa Theresa is now being fully utilized as a shipping point. The Parsons facility was closed in April 2003 as Daws turned its efforts globally by partnering with an overseas company to manufacture its tubular produce line. Innovation, quality products, customer service and a philosophy of response to customer needs are among the many reasons Daws Better Built® has become the leader in the truck accessory aftermarket. “Better Built®. The Name Says It All!" means satisfying the customer chain all the way to the retail customer/end user. Simply put, being “Better Built®” means everything must truly be "BETTER".