Destination Sign Update

Smartrend Manufacturing Group and Opti-Luxx Settle Dispute Over Design Patent D932,930.

WINNIPEG, MB & HUDSONVILLE, MI — MARCH 26, 2026 — Smartrend Manufacturing Group (SMG), Inc. and Opti-Luxx Inc. today announced that they have reached a settlement resolving the patent dispute over U.S. Design Patent No. D932,930 (the “D930 Patent”). The case, Smartrend Manufacturing Group (SMG), Inc. v. Opti-Luxx Inc., was pending in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan and centered on a design used in illuminated school bus signs.

As part of the settlement, Opti-Luxx will be licensed under agreement to sell only the following rectangular bus sign products in the United States:

This amicable settlement ends all claims in the litigation and avoids further court proceedings.
SMG and Opti-Luxx jointly affirm that they are pleased to have resolved their differences amicably and that they wish each other well as they move forward. The settlement underscores a mutual commitment to safety in the school transportation industry.

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Opti-Luxx Releases New
Multi-Color Work Truck Lights

New lights deliver increased visibility and safety for the work truck market.

HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — Opti-Luxx, Inc. announced the launch of several new products today. The products are primarily designed for the needs of the work truck market and feature new designs and new LED color options.

“At Opti-Luxx, we’ve spent a lot of time in recent years, asking questions and learning from our work truck customers as far as what safety challenges they’re facing. We discovered that many operators were looking to take advantage of new laws in their state, allowing green and even blue as approved non-law enforcement warning light colors,” said Steve Tuls, Senior Regional Sales Manager at Opti-Luxx.

The collection of new products includes beacons, light bars, warning lights, and accessory lights; many having multiple configuration options for expanded color palettes and connection options. Over the last several months, the company has launched 8 different series of lights with 2 more series ready to ship within the next 2 weeks.

Opti-Luxx has been steadily expanding its commercial product line over the last several years, delivering on an innovation cycle that benefits from experience in delivering high-performing safety and task lighting for both school buses and work trucks.

New products include the 4100 Series 5” (tall) beacon which has amber, white, green, and a dual color version in amber and green. The beacon also boasts an updated 4-screw base for increased stability and is able to connect and synchronize flash patterns with another new product, the 610 Series 6” Oval Dual-Color Amber and Green Warning Light.

“The dual color variations of our products are especially innovative for customers because you can get that 2-for-1 punch in your purchase, benefiting from added attention-getting power and additional regulatory adherence for roadway standards with the extra flash pattern colors,” added Tuls. “Whether it’s a dual-color beacon connected and synchronized with a 6” oval warning, or a dual-color light bar with both amber and white illumination visible from any angle, or even an amber and blue supplemental warning light — work truck operators have a vast array of Opti-Luxx lights at their disposal to make sure they command attention on the roadways.”

Beyond an ever-expanding LED Portfolio, the overall customer experience at Opti-Luxx is consistently esteemed and highly-rated. With engineering, sales, and customer service teams all based in the U.S. and ready to ensure high-confidence purchases and upfits, Opti-Luxx is the premier choice for commercial vehicle lighting.

“Customers already love working with us, and I think proving we’re listening to them by designing and bringing the new products to market that they’ve asked for, only enhances that,” added Tuls.

Many of the newly launched products will be featured at the Opti-Luxx exhibit (booth 271) at the Work Truck Week Conference and Trade Show  in Indianapolis, March 11–13, 2026. More information is available at: https://opti-luxx.com/products/new-products/ and https://wtw26.mapyourshow.com/8_0/exhibitor/exhibitor-details.cfm?exhid=213786

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Opti-Luxx Unveils New OPTI-360 Initiative

New campaign designed to generate awareness of a bumper-to-bumper line of LED safety products.

HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — Opti-Luxx announced the launch of its OPTI-360 Initiative today. The initiative will support customers with a total vehicle approach for visibility and safety on roadways.

“At Opti-Luxx, we’re passionate about listening to our customers and working to deliver solutions for their unique safety needs. OPTI-360 is what we’re calling that approach — to provide a 360-degree shield of bright and dependable lighting protection around the entirety of the vehicle,” said Sarah Subdon, Sales and Marketing Manager at Opti-Luxx. “We’re able to provide this because we have a vast product portfolio, a strong and expanding dealer network, unmatched service during and after installation, and an unending drive for innovation via constant R & D.”

The OPTI-360 initiative will be a conversation point in the coming months as Opti-Luxx continues to grow its school bus and work truck product portfolios and communicate those capabilities to customers. The campaign arrives at the same time traffic agencies increasingly report marked upticks in distracted, aggressive, impaired, and fatigued drivers along with more weather-related driving incidents out on the roadways. OPTI-360 sends a clear signal that  Opti-Luxx is more ready than ever to help school and work truck fleets stay highly visible and as safe, even as the overall traffic safety outlook dims.

Opti-Luxx General Manager Frank Li added, “When school districts and fleet managers choose Opti-Luxx as their lighting supplier, they know they’re giving their drivers the brightest and best LED lights available to stay visible, respected, and safe. We’ve always had the core belief that Seeing IS Safety — and we now give additional definition to that belief with the OPTI-360 initiative. We design and manufacture multiple lighting options for all sides of our customer’s vehicle. There aren’t many suppliers that can make that same claim.”

Beyond an ever-expanding LED Portfolio, the overall customer experience at Opti-Luxx is consistently esteemed and highly-rated. This helps make a company-wide initiative like OPTI-360 seamless, with employees from engineering to customer sales and service teams all engaged and ready to develop and deploy 360-degree shields of visual safety for any vehicle fleet.

“People already love working with us, and I think this initiative will further enhance that. Everyone is on board and ready to help customers ensure they have the best safety lighting installed, bumper-to-bumper. Sometimes a customer might only need a light or two, other times a complete 360-degree upfit makes sense. Whatever the need is, we can meet it. Even if a customer has a highly specialized need, we can work to craft a lightning plan that ensures visibility from every possible angle — and by the way, that includes the interior of the vehicle. We have high-performing cargo, step, and dome light products that make work zones, loading areas, and interior spaces more visible, and more safe to occupy,” added Subdon.

The OPTI-360 initiative is currently active and will be featured in the Opti-Luxx booth at the Student Transportation News Expo in Reno Nevada beginning July 12, 2024. More information is available at: https://opti-luxx.com/events/