Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc. Acquires Astral Industries, Inc.

OVERLAND PARK, KS – Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc. (“WFSI”) is pleased to announce it has completed the acquisition of certain assets of Astral Industries, Inc., Astral Carrier Inc. and other related Astral companies (“Astral”). Based in Lynn, Indiana, Astral is a leading manufacturer of steel caskets and has supplied independent distributors and funeral homes across the United States for over 45 years. Astral Carrier is a 48-state contract carrier with a fleet of air-ride tractors and trailers. This transaction supports WFSI’s continued growth strategy through continued reinvestment in complementary products and services benefiting funeral professionals and the families they serve. This commitment to offering solutions to industry professionals and their customers will continue to drive the combined enterprises.

“We are very pleased to welcome Astral to the Wilbert family,” stated Dennis Welzenbach, President & CEO of WFSI. “We will retain Astral’s manufacturing platform and offices, and Don Robinson, currently Executive Vice President – Licensee Products & Services and President of Signet Supply for WFSI, will be relocating to Lynn to assume the position as President of Astral, while retaining his role with Signet Supply.”

“We would like to thank Astral’s independent distributor and funeral home customers, as well as the Signet Supply distributor group, for their support as we worked to complete the merger of these iconic brands,” stated Robinson. “We are committed to building on Astral’s industry-leading quality, great customer service, and dedicated transportation, which provide both distributors and funeral professionals unequaled value. In the months ahead, Astral plans to introduce an expanded line of burial and cremation products for distributors under the new brand Astral SELECT™.”

As demonstrated by this transaction, WFSI remains committed to the North American funeral industry and to the Wilbert network of Licensees.

For more information, call (708) 865-1600.