Matthews Aurora Funeral Solutions, a division of Matthews International Corporation (NASDAQ GSM: MATW), today announced it is beginning the rollout of its integrated casket product line to its funeral home customers nationwide. Following the acquisition of Aurora Casket one year ago, Matthews Aurora promised it would bring together the best caskets and features from both legacy companies to offer an upgraded, expanded selection to all customers. The products announced today make good on that promise.

Nearly all caskets across the integrated product line have new or upgraded product features, including a 60/40 cut on half-couch models to provide better body positioning and appearance; enhanced interiors with thicker wadding for a better fit and finish; the best locking mechanisms in the industry for both metal and wood caskets, including a lock on hardwood caskets that secures the casket in a quarter-turn; new standard insert panel dimensions for ease of ordering, and several detailed interior design upgrades which help to improve the fit and overall presentation of all Matthews Aurora caskets.

Matthews Aurora also announced today that some of its best-selling caskets will now be available, on a regional basis, through its expanded service center network. “We’re adding top-selling caskets based on regional preferences throughout our network, including Freedom Midnight Blue, Patriot Ebony (pictured), Sovereign Pecan (pictured), Gatewood Cherry and Magnolia Poplar. We’re also really excited that we are improving nearly every casket in our product line through the integration process, and are able to make some of our most popular caskets available to our customers sooner than expected,” stated Marty Strohofer, vice president of marketing and product development for Matthews Aurora. “The new caskets will begin flowing through the service center network and will be available to customers beginning in the fall,” said Strohofer.