RV Industry News
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| July 2004 | Volume 29 - Number 12 | |
RV Industry News | ||
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Weekend Warrior Acquires Extreme RV
The addition of Extreme RV (formerly KIT Mfg.) a respected main stream brand manufacturer, coupled with the market penetration of Weekend Warrior’s toy haulers creates a dynamic mix with over 75 years of manufacturing capabilities. “Merging the two companies provides unique opportunities for growth on both ends of the RV spectrum,” says Mark Warmoth, owner and proprietor of Weekend Warrior. “By combining our strengths, integrating the two dealer networks helps distribution, and gains us clout in our manufacturing and purchasing capabilities.” For the present the companies names will remain unchanged, and each company will continue to manufacture at their existing facilities. Weekend Warrior Trailers, Inc. is based in Perris, Calif., and Extreme RV’s facilities are in Caldwell, Idaho. Coachmen RV Company Partners
“We are extremely pleased to be joining forces with Lazydays,” noted Terlep. “Lazydays RV SuperCenter has truly earned its place as the nation’s largest single- point dealership due to its professionalism, commitment to customer satisfaction, and outstanding facilities and staff, and we are proud to be affiliated with their organization.” “We are very excited about the addition of the Coachmen product lines and the opportunities that they represent,” said Don Wallace, Founder and CEO of Lazydays. “The addition of these product lines is an important part of our strategy to serve key markets and achieve our goal of $1 billion in annual revenue.” “Lazydays and Coachmen have similar business philosophies, which means Lazydays is driven to provide value to their customers. They also have a renowned reputation for the complete value package they provide after the sale,” said Lawton Tinley, General Manager of Coachmen RV Company’s Fitzgerald, Ga.-based production facility, which will produce most of the travel trailers and fifth wheels purchased by Lazydays. “We’re delighted to have them as a dealer.” ADP Dealer Services Enters
McBratney and the entire Lightspeed team will continue to serve Lightspeed DMS customers from their Salt Lake City headquarters. “All 124 employees will seamlessly transition into the ADP family, with virtually no changes to the quality service our customers have come to expect,” said McBratney. Under ADP, the Lightspeed unit will manage all ProQuest Powersports management software including Lightspeed, Lightspeed Windows, Lightspeed Discovery, and Lightspeed Evolution. ProQuest has retained ownership of electronic parts catalog publishing and distribution. “This acquisition is a win-win situation; it enables ProQuest to focus on its core publishing business and Lightspeed to concentrate efforts entirely on DMS solutions,” said McBratney. ADP provides integrated computing solutions to more than 17,000 automotive and truck dealers and 30 manufacturers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It offers a full range of web-enabled dealer management tools to meet the unique needs of all dealership sizes. ADP solutions are available onsite or as an offsite ASP solution. “Moving into the powersports and recreational vehicle segments is a natural extension for ADP Dealer Services,” said Paul Andraschko, vice president of ADP’s Allied Services. “Since ADP provides software to dealerships of various sizes—from large chains to independents and used car outlets— we will be able to leverage our extensive experience to meet the demands of Lightspeed’s diverse customer base.” Spartan Chassis Receives State
The MEDC is also projecting the creation of an additional 641 jobs at other Michigan companies by 2009 because of the increased economic activity created by the expansion. "These expansions along with the others we most recently announced indicate that manufacturing is still alive and well in Michigan," said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. Spartan, which currently employs 438 people in Michigan and an additional 275 in South Carolina, South Dakota and Pennsylvania, said it had considered a site in Kentucky, but the Single Business Tax credit, worth $4.3 million, convinced the Company to expand in Michigan. An economic analysis by the University of Michigan estimates that nearly $603 million in new personal income will be generated from the project over the life of the agreement. "We are proud to be a Michigan manufacturer and pleased this grant will allow us to grow our business within the community of Charlotte," said Richard Schalter, President of Spartan Chassis, Inc. The Company said it also plans to invest $7.3 million to expand its operations in Charlotte to grow its current product line in response to the new business contracts with RV makers Fleetwood RV and Newmar Corporation, as well as its strong fire truck chassis orders. Lazydays Named One of
“The employee owners of Lazydays are proud to once again achieve Florida Private 200 ranking for 2004. Our successes are driven by a daily focus on our company purpose of making customers for life and our continuous search for ways to add value to the Lazydays experience,” said Don Wallace, Founder and CEO of Lazydays. Winegard to Form New Mobile
Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, DATA TECH will develop technologies and associated products that deliver Internet and data communications within the domestic and international mobile markets. "Just as the Internet has transformed modern day living over the last 15 years, mobility of the Internet and all of its applications will revolutionize the 21st century for business and consumer alike," states Randy Winegard, President/CEO of Winegard Company. "We are excited to be at the forefront of this market." DATA TECH will launch its first product, a nomadic/mobile Internet antennae system designed for virtually any satellite send and receive platform, in the fall of 2004. This flagship product, available in a .74, .75 and 1.2 mobile antennae solution, will provide a user-friendly environment with rapid signal acquisition, and will be in full compliance with all FCC regulations for sending and transmitting in a mobile environment. "Mobile Internet technology is all about the freedom and affordability of high speed communication, anytime, anywhere," says DATA TECH President Reed Brown. "People are constantly on the go and are in continual need of access to information. We will be offering these products to Winegard's recreational vehicle and automotive customers, and to newer market segments as well." "The mobile aspect of these new antennas provides unlimited opportunities such as remote news gatherings, mobile command centers, mobile medical centers, mobile broadband and video conferencing for all industries, with new applications being created every day," adds DATA TECH Vice President Chuck Uhl, a veteran of the satellite for more than 30 years. While Winegard is already widely recognized as the leading producer of off air and satellite antennae systems, the formation of DATA TECH will help secure its place as a worldwide mobile VSAT antennae system provider, by offering two-way, real-time IP, video, voice, audio and data communication for specialty applications. RVIA Industry Profile 2003
To more clearly identify emerging trends within the industry, RVIA has separated recreation vehicle and conversion vehicle data. In order to provide still more detail, each of these major vehicle groups are separated into individual product categories. Unit shipment totals, product mix, stateby- state shipment patterns, wholesale and retail sales values are detailed for each of the ten major vehicle categories in numeric as well as graphic presentations. Also included is a special section devoted entirely to the RV consumer. Who they are, how many there are and what their purchase intentions might be is highlighted in a three-page summary of RV shipment trends. The publication presents an historical review and update of production and shipment statistics of RV and CV manufacturing. Provides data on market percentages by size and type of vehicles, includes state and regional shipments to dealers, and wholesale and retail volume from 1994 through 2003. Non RVIA members can purchase copies of RVIA Industry Profile 2003 as a useful tool in their company’s own marketing plans for the future. To order copies of the $25 publication call the RVIA publications order desk at 1-800-336-0154 ext. 311. Advanced Air Hitch Announces
"This patent recognizes the contributions of Craig Kaplenski and Terry Marshall, outstanding individuals who have devoted their career to understanding a problem that afflicts thousands of trailer towing individuals," said Lloyd Stegemann, President of Advanced Air Hitch. “We have spent considerable time in expanding our markets. The issuance of the patent is a major step in expanding the company. Our sales for this year have risen almost 100% over last year for the same period. We have launched into the Home Land Security market with our custom hitches and our commercial receiver. These units are used by federal, state, and county agencies to tow their command centers, bomb containment, detection equipment, patrol boats, and horse patrols trailers. They need the equipment and contents on these trailers to arrive undamaged and meet all towing capacity regulations,” said Lloyd “It has been a long 4-year process in developing and documenting the information needed for this patent,” said Craig. “We are working on new product development ideas and looking forward to more patents,” said Craig.
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