Our Home Base

Our HOME BASE
Our INVENTIONS … Our CAPABILITIES
Our TECHNICAL & LEGAL KNOWLEDGE!

LOCATION & CAPABILITIES
Sierra Design Manufacturing, Inc. (formerly Sierra Products, Inc.) is headquartered in Livermore, CA next to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory with a second facility in Sonora … near Yosemite Valley.

Our Livermore facility houses our Management, Sales, Engineering and R & D Operations plus our “in house” Tool Making and Injection Molding Machinery. We have twelve, 100 Ton to 500 Ton* Plastic Ejection Molding Machines along with all necessary complimentary equipment for designing, tooling and manufacturing any kind** of Trailer, RV or Truck Lighting and Reflectors (except headlights) that we guarantee are compliant (legal) to all “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard #108” (FMVSS #108) mandated requirements. *Clamping force capability **Including Custom Designs

Further, we are able to brag that we’re the only bona fide U.S.A. Vehicle Lighting and Reflector Manufacturer in the 22 Western States that is actively … in house … Designing, Tooling and Molding Vehicle Lighting and Reflectors to all Federal FMVSS #108 Mandated Standards. Further, we believe we are the only Lighting Manufacturer in the U.S.A. that molds its Trailer, RV and Truck lighting from authentic Tough GE® “Fade Proof” Lens Grade Lexan™.

With our capable Tooling and Manufacturing facilities, “Sierra” maintains total control over all product details, resulting in the ability to quickly solve any related problems and fill orders rapidly.

25+ YEARS of FEDERAL "COMPLIANCE" & actual ROAD TESTING
In the 1980’s, our people had to learn "from scratch" all applicable Federal, State and SAE Laws and Standards applicable to Vehicle Lighting, and since then, we’ve daily monitored the "Federal Register" to keep up on the latest changes and legal interpretations relating to FMVSS #108* Law. Over the years, we have also collected and officially commented on most of NHTSA’s “NPRMs” (Notices of Proposed Rule Making) and have documented and saved all of NHTSA's “Legal Interpretations” that cover a wide variety of Vehicle Manufacturers and Public Questions on Lighting issues, including NHTSA's responses to these questions.
*FMVSS #108 = Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard #108

Over the years, we have also made routine trips to Washington, D.C. to keep up with FMVSS #108 “Docket"* entries and therefore, are able to share this wide range of knowledge with our customers (and their Lawyers) when legal and technical problems arise. We’ve also been instrumental in trying to update and improve FMVSS #108 Laws using NHTSA’s official “Petition” and “Legal Interpretation Request" systems. However, from NHTSA's documented replies … and recent lack of meaningful replies … we have found that common sense seems to be a missing virtue at NHTSA.
*The Docket area has in its Records material not available on NHTSA's website

Many years ago, our Founder, Dennis G. Moore*, set up a complete (in house) FMVSS #108 qualifying Vehicle Lighting Test Lab** … using Equipment Traceable to the U.S. Bureau of Standards, which is still used to routinely check and update our designs using current FMVSS #108 Mandated Standards as well as applying additional “Road Endurance Testing” and Augment Light Testing that NHTSA doesn’t require … but should.
*B.S.M.E. Bradley University, Peoria, IL **Our Lab Testing Facilities were “California Highway Patrol Approved” at the time

"NEW LOOKS" Continuing and New FEATURES
"Sierra" has spent 25+ years molding, primarily GE Lexan™ (Polycarbonate) for all our Tough Duty, Submersible and CHMSL* Lines of Lighting products. *Center High Mount Stop Light

In addition to Designing, Tooling and Manufacturing the Newest "See Thru" Lighting for use on all kinds of Trailers, RVs and Small/Large Trucks, we also have developed and introduced New Looks, "Modularized" 3rd Brake Lights that can replace the million plus of 10” and 16” LED Chinese/"Cheapo" failures that can be seen daily.

Our original #400 and #500 Series CHMSLs can be seen on Domestic and Work Truck Caps/Toppers/Shells/Canopies all over the U.S.A. and Canada.

Under the brand name DRY LAUNCH®, we have been marketing our popular Submersible Boat Trailer Lighting that is widely recognized throughout the Marine Aftermarket and with Boat Trailer Manufacturers for quality, value, and customer satisfaction.

We believe our latest "NEW LOOKS!" SPLL Multi Function Design is indeed revolutionary as it provides the first 7 Function Trailer Light with “See Thru/Chrome” and “See the Bulb” Styling. This design perfectly complements the latest “See Thru” Auto, SUV and Pick-Up Tail Light Styling now routinely used by Detroit, Japan, and European Designers. Look around and start enjoying all these "Cool" and ongoing New Tail Light Styling changes, which are helping sell more vehicles that would not have been sold using only Same Ol', “Plain Jane” Tail Light Designs that have been around for 40+ years!

Additionally, this new design still retains our famous, “No Tools”, “Snap out, Bulb Slide” including and our popular “Hi & DryÒ Termination feature*", neither of these unique features are offered by any of our competitors.
*on most 7 function models

OUR REPUTATION and GOALS
Most 7/8 Function "Incandescent" Trailer Lights being offered today are composed of "cheapened" Chinese or Mexican made Same Ol' Plain Jane copies of lighting originally designed many years ago by American Lighting Companies. These designs have been used on millions of Trailers, RVs and Trucks over the past 40+ years. Our designs are based on quality and uniqueness and not on copying and cheapening of antiquated designs.

Further, we are dedicated to improving Public Safety by designing products with grief reducing, safety enhancing, and driver serviceable features that … sooner or later … are appreciated by all involved OEMs, Distributors, and Dealers, and … eventually … by the End User as well.

Ask around … you'll find we have a reputation for trail blazing New Innovations, New Looks! and New Safety enhancements. We always comply to all FMVSS #108 and Common Sense Safety requirements, contrary to Chinese cheapened "Look A-likes" of our products, which are generally unqualified, unreliable, untested and … in general … "Illegal Liability and Grief producers”.

Our “TECHNICAL and LEGAL CLARIFICATIONS” (TLCs)
We address many common Vehicle Lighting subjects in our website's "Technical and Legal Clarification" (TLC) writings. We try to call attention to the history and reasoning behind each Vehicle Lighting requirement and compare this knowledge to the current Mandates spelled out in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard #108 (FMVSS #108) while also comparing common sense reasoning, so that responsible Distributors, Dealers, OEMs and ultimately the Trailer Driver use only Lighting that can be “proven” to be compliant to all facets of FMVSS #108 that qualify to the “1966 Vehicle Safety Act” reasoning.

The "SOCIETY of AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS" (SAE)
All Trailer, RV and Truck Manufacturers as well as Distributors of Aftermarket Vehicle Lighting should realize that indirectly, the “Society of Automotive Engineers” (SAE) wrote most of the initial and still existing Federal FMVSS #108* Mandates and nearly all of SAE members are only "Automotive" Lighting orientated and are not obligated to provide Trailer, RV and Truck Lighting subjects the required attention they should be given. This almost exclusive Automotive attention can still be seen in practically all NHTSA "Rulemaking", "Compliance" and "Crash Avoidance" personnel decisions.
*Found on website - http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2008/octqtr/pdf/49cfr571.108.pdf
No, this Website is not a joke; this gets you straight to FMVSS #108 without starting at NHTSA.GOV plus seventeen steps later!

Our CUSTOMER BASE
Over the past 25 years, we have supplied Mail Order organizations and Chain Stores like Cabela's®, Northern Tool®, Sears®, Grand Auto®, etc. We have also reliably supplied many well known Trailer Manufacturers like ShoreLand’r® and E-Z Loader®, as well as many other quality Trailer and RV Motor Home manufacturers, including Airstream®. We have also reliably served practically all Major Marine Distributors and several RV Distributors (like "Coast®") who can verify that our products sell well … are routinely praised* … make grief proof profits … and generate virtually Zero Returns! *See attached Testimonials

“LED” COSTS … PERFORMANCE … and LIABILITIES
We have deliberately avoided becoming involved with "LED" Trailer and RV Lighting due to the many obvious (and not so obvious) problems associated with LED use on Trailers, RVs and Trucks. Today’s average LED 7/8 Multi-Function Tail Light Assembly has limited output … poor outdoor resistance quality and heat and Legality problems that can’t be ignored. We find these problems are most apparent with regards to Brake/Turn and Lane Changing Signal Lights when cheap materials, poor quality “LEDs” and poor sealing methods are used for submersible and outdoor, “fully exposed to sun and actual weather” applications.

Other writings regarding LEDs can be seen on our website, which specifically addresses Quality, Legal, Technical and Value considerations for Incandescent or "LED" Multi Function Light Assemblies. As to the high prices of "quality" LED Lighting … we only know of one Competitor making an Aftermarket Trailer (7 Function) LED Assembly that we believe to be "probably" fully FMVSS #108 Compliant; however, we have not tested it for Submersion and long term Heat Expansion/Contractions nor long term Road and Weather exposure. It's a nice looking Assembly made by Cequent®, but it Retails for ≈ $100/Pair.

All other 7/8 LED Multi Function Designs we know of violate FMVSS #108’s most important requirements and/or have failure histories.

Our QUALITY results in "NO" COME BACKS and NO UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCES
Since our beginning, we’ve specialized in using Fade Proof, Tough! GE Lexan™ Polycarbonate in practically all our components and always in our Main Lenses and associated Reflectors. We try to convince OEMs and Distributors contemplating selling or using our Tough, Driver Serviceable Lighting … that they will save enough in being involved in virtually zero Legal and Replacement grief's* to give them more than adequate "payback" for the slight initial extra cost we ask for. *Time is money and dealing with complaints and any resultant Replacement also costs money

Yes, Lexan™ does break when smashed, but it doesn’t shatter and it doesn’t fade. Further, Lexan® absorbs "hits" and withstands hot and cold applications where Acrylics fail. When a driver smashes one of our Lights* … the driver will likely realize what a beating it took to make it totally unusable and likely realize he was supplied a stout product, and feel the loss was his fault instead of blaming the Trailer Manufacturer or the associated Distributor/Dealer for supplying him an inferior product.
*And being fully outdoor "exposed" … as they are designed to be … they do occasionally get smashed

Americans sense when they’ve been furnished inferior products …and don’t forget who supplied them.

Our lights have “built in” Toughness, Grief Reducing and Owner Serviceability features that … sooner or later …end users appreciate and will actually thank those who supplied them with our special products.

Our PRODUCTS SATISFY most DEALER REPLACEMENT NEEDS
It should be realized that the typical potential "Trailer Driver" seeking a "single" "Replacement Multi Function faces a hard time finding a source for an "exact" needed Left or Right Replacement. Therefore, these kinds of potential customers are susceptible to the idea of using our "SPLL" Pair Kit for the replacing as well as the Updating of "both" their right and their left with New Looks! Multi Functions while.

All sorts of Dealers that could carry our SPLL Pair Kit would satisfy most Utility, Horse, Boat, etc. Trailer Replacement needs and by adding a couple of our other "Old Reliable" products … significant profits with virtually No Returns can be recognized. Further, there are millions of our "SP", "203" and "327" Products already in daily use all over the U.S. and Canada, therefore providing a huge, already existing Replacement Market that can be taken advantage of.

GIVE US A TRY - Distributor/Dealer pricing upon request!