Kiefer Trailers - Kiefer Mfg & Sales LLC
Arden Kiefer started his company, Kiefer Welding, in 1973 as a welding repair shop in a small building with two portable welders. In 1974 Kiefer Welding, located in Kanawha, Iowa, became Kiefer Built, Inc.
In late 1974, Arden made the decision to expand his repair business by breaking into the livestock trailer market. The Kiefer built pull-type livestock trailers soon gained popularity because of their quality and rugged construction. Arden found that if you build a quality product and market it at a fair price, people would buy it. Arden’s commitment to customer’s satisfaction and to building a reputation as a quality minded company soon paid off. Over the next few years, many different sizes and models of livestock trailers were developed and marketed.
By the mid 1980’s the company’s manufacturing area had grown from 2,000 square feet to over 150,000 square feet at the Kanawha, Iowa plant.
In 2002 Kiefer Built expanded and opened a plant in Sneedville, Tennessee. This facility focused primarily on aluminum horse and livestock trailers.
First quarter 2011 brought along major changes. Due to the economic recession that had taken over the country starting in late 2008, things had grown tough in the trailer market and it appeared the doors would have to close. And they did, for just a brief few weeks. The month of March brought big news to the North Iowa area. It was announced that Stellar Industries, Inc. of Garner, Iowa would purchase the assets of Kiefer Built, LLC and re-open both the Kanawha, Iowa and Sneedville, Tennessee facilities. They operated as Kiefer Manufacturing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Stellar Industries, Inc.
In late 2015, Stellar Industries decided to close Kiefer Manufacturing, Inc. The Greene family in Sneedville, TN learned that Kiefer was closing. They had been a dealer for Kiefer trailers since the Sneedville plant opened in 2002, and had been in the trailer business since 1986. They acted quickly, and purchased the Sneedville facility and all the Kiefer operations. Kiefer became Kiefer Mfg & Sales, LLC, operating out of Sneedville, TN, and headed up by David Greene, Jr.
The Kiefer products continue to be marketed through a network of dealers over the entire United States and in Canada and have even shipped to Belgium, Finland, Spain, Germany, Puerto Rico, and Japan.
The Kiefer trailers are well respected throughout the United States for their features, dependability, and quality. The sizes of horse trailers range from a two-horse bumper-pull trailer to eight-horse slant-load. Cargo and livestock trailers range in size from 8-feet to 30-feet in length.
Since 1974, Kiefer has produced over 60,000 trailers. Its product lines have grown to include the following:
- Aluminum livestock trailers
- Aluminum horse trailers
- Steel framed flatbed trailers
- Cargo trailers
- Utility trailers
Dealer opportunities also exist in a number of regions throughout North America and potential new dealers are encouraged to contact Kiefer Manufacturing to learn about these opportunities.