Harbour Group Subsidiary Acquires TAP USA, Inc.

27 May 1998
Harbour Group Subsidiary Acquires TAP USA, Inc.
    ST. LOUIS, May 26 -- Sam Fox, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of Harbour Group, announced today that Hopkins Manufacturing, a
subsidiary of Harbour Group, has acquired the assets of TAP USA, Inc.  Terms
of the acquisition were not disclosed.
    Hopkins manufactures a number of niche products for the automotive
aftermarket as well as for automobile manufacturers, dealers, repair shops and
safety inspection facilities.  The company employs approximately 400 people
and is headquartered in Emporia, Kansas.
    TAP USA, Inc. is a manufacturer of electrical automotive and trailer
towing accessory products that are sold through mass merchandisers as well as
automotive retailers and private installers.  Based in Atlanta, TAP has about
50 employees.
    Mr. Fox stated that the acquisition of TAP by Hopkins "represents another
example of Harbour Group's commitment to establishing a presence in the highly
fragmented automotive accessory market."  Ken Hopkins, President of Hopkins
Manufacturing commented, "TAP USA is an excellent complement to Hopkins'
current product offering and will help Hopkins establish an increasingly
significant presence in automotive aftermarket."
    Harbour Group is a privately owned industrial holding company based in St.
Louis.  Harbour Group specializes in the acquisition and development of
industrial manufacturing companies within fragmented industries which provide
the opportunity for long-term growth through complementary acquisitions.
Harbour Group's subsidiaries and former subsidiaries (the public companies in
which Harbour Group retains varying amounts of stock ownership) have more than
10,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of more than $1.0 billion and
manufacture a variety of industrial products including auxiliary processing
equipment, construction equipment, paint spraying systems and accessories,
high pressure cleaning equipment, industrial and automotive springs, automated
production equipment and automotive accessories.