INDUSTRY NEWS
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Workhorse Launches 'One-Stop' Motorhome Service at Lazy Days
Workhorse Custom Chassis launched its "one-stop" service network of RV dealers at Lazy Days RV Super Center. Lazy Days became the first to sign a Service Center Agreement with Workhorse. The network, expected to involve 500 RV dealers, is designed to provide gasoline-powered motorhome users with a convenient option for warranty work if their motorhome is built on a chassis made by Workhorse Custom Chassis. Previously, motorhome users had to get such service for the chassis part of their vehicle (including engine and transmission) performed at locations other than their motorhome dealer. Until now, only GM and Ford supplied gasoline-powered chassis for motor homes. Accordingly, motorhome owners have been required to seek service at GM or Ford dealers. The Workhorse service network will also include GM dealers for warranty and service work on existing GM chassis as well as new Workhorse chassis. This is a major change in the way motorhome customers, dealers, and manufacturers are used to viewing service options, and indicates the way RVs are increasingly entering the mainstream of American lifestyles. Workhorse chairman Andrew Taitz was at the official signing ceremony along with other Workhorse and Lazy Days officials. "This is the beginning of a new era in RV service," he said. "When we started our business, this was one of the things we heard over and over again that was needed." Lazy Days President Don Wallace said, "We're very excited about signing up to be a Workhorse service center. When we first heard what Workhorse wanted to do, we contacted them and told them we wanted to be part of their plans." Winnebago Industries' Motor Homes Receive Top Sales Award Honors Statistical Surveys, Inc., a retail reporting firm in Grand Rapids, MI, announced that Winnebago Industries, Inc. (NYSE: WGO) had received two awards for top retail sales volume achievement for its motor homes. According to Statistical Surveys, Winnebago Industries' Winnebago brand motor homes were the top selling Class A brand during calendar 1998, outselling every other Class A brand in the United States. Winnebago brand Class A's includes the Brave, Adventurer and Chieftain models. Winnebago Industries was also recognized for being the top selling manufacturer of Class C's in the U.S., the company's Class C motor homes include the Winnebago Minnie and Minnie Winnie, Itasca Spirit and Sundancer and Rialta motor home models. Jim Jaskoviak, Winnebago's vice president of sales and marketing, said "Winnebago Industries' employees have worked very hard to achieve these impressive sales goals. We are especially proud to receive these sales awards in a year of record industry-wide RV sales." Coachmen Builds New Motorhome Plant; Robust Sales Necessitates Increased Capacity
In order to keep up with the demand for its robustly selling motorhomes, Coachmen RV is building a new motorhome assembly plant adjacent to its existing motorhome plant in Middlebury, IN. The new state-of-the-art facility, which will build class A motorhomes exclusively, is expected to be operational by mid May 1999. The 92,500-sq. ft. plant will produce two of the four class A model lines offered by Coachmen RV. It is located on the Coachmen RV's Middlebury complex. Michael Terlep, president of Coachmen RV Co., said "While the RV industry reported an impressive 33% sales growth for class A motorhomes during the last five years, Coachmen's class A sales grew nearly 92% during that same time period. With favorable demographics expected throughout the next 15 years and the popularity of all four of our class A motorhome model lines, we believe that the time is right for adding more production capacity. Building this new plant also demonstrates Coachmen's commitment to the long-term growth of both the industry and our Company. "The new plant will increase motorhome production capacity by as much as 150%. Improved manufacturing techniques will also help us in our pursuit of continuous improvement in the quality of our products." RV Mobile Medic Receives Dometic's Service Center of the Year Award
RV Mobile Medic of Tampa, FL, was named 1998 Team 2000 Service Center of the Year by The Dometic Corporation. RV Mobile Medic owner Johnny Martinez said, "Team 2000 membership has been very beneficial for us," says. "We have always prided ourselves on doing the best job possible, therefore, it is extremely rewarding to receive this type of recognition." The Team 2000 designation represents a network of top Dometic service centers and repair shops. This is the fourth year for the award, which requires nominees to meet four criteria:
Bob Troyer, Dometic warranty manager, said, "The fourth criterion is the most important to us. The way a Team 2000 member treats a referred customer reflects on Dometic as well as the service center." Martinez, who owns two shops in addition to his mobile service vehicle, continually strives to make excellent customer service a priority. Coast Distribution Moving Corporate Offices According to Coast Distribution Systems President Jeff Wannamaker, Coast will be moving its corporate headquarters operation to a new 26,000-square-foot facility in Morgan Hill, CA, which is 20 miles south of its present location in San Jose. Coast will be the primary tenant and is a partner in the ownership of the new complex. The move is scheduled for March 12 14, 1999. Hartville RV Center Optimistic after Weather-Related Incident After 28 years of owning an RV dealership in the same location, the Pastore family thought they had seen both stormy and sunny skies at Hartville RV Center, Hartville, OH. However, when the weight of snow from a recent snowstorm caused their showroom roof to collapse in January, the winter of 1999 struck like a hurricane. No injuries were reported since the last person had vacated the showroom 20 minutes before it collapsed. According to Jeff Pastore, vice-president of Hartville RV, the damage to the showroom and its contents appears to be total. Despite this episode, Hartville RV Center is keeping the dealership open during the reconstruction. Velvac Celebrates 65 Years in Business The year 1999 marks Velvac's 65th year of incorporation. A leading manufacturer and supplier of components to the truck, recreational and specialty vehicle industries, Velvac opened its doors in Detroit in 1934 as the Vacuum Power Equipment Company. In 1940, the corporate name was changed to Velvac to encompass its Velvet Bacuum Brakes brand. The year 1947 saw another change for Velvac, this one being a physical move from Detroit to Milwaukee, WI. Tweny-five years later the company relocated to New Berlin, WI, and continues its headquarters there today with over 185,000 sq. ft. fo manufactureing, warehouse and office space and over 200 employees. Gwendolyn Greeler, president and CEO, said, "The company has seen many changes to the markets it serves in its 65 years and has met these challenges head-on with investments in people and new product development. We will continue this commitment to engineering new components that meet the needs of the transportation industry for years to come." |
Roba & Associates Schedule Training Seminars in Northeast John Roba and Associates will be conducting its annual Factory Trained Dealer Seminar programs this month, from March 15 - 19, 1999. This year marks the 20th anniversary of these series of seminars offered through Roba & Associates, a manufacturers agent firm. Distributors and dealers will have the opportunity to work with factory representatives from Atwood Mobile Products, Tekonsha Towing Systems, Air Lift and Flojet on installation, trouble shooting, sales and service. The schedule starts off in Waldorf, MD, on March 15, then moves to Allentown, PA, on March 16. From there the "road show" moves on to Manchester, NH, on March 17; Latham, NY, on March 18; and concludes March 19 in Batavia, NY. For more information and reservations, contact John Roba and Associates at 716-633-7565 or fax 716-633-7576. RPTIA Requests Face to Face Meeting with RVIA's Board to Discuss the Year 2000 Louisville Park Trailer Show The Recreation Park Trailer Industry Association (RPTIA) board of directors announced the formation of a committee to address RVIA's board at its June 1999 meeting in Washington, DC, with the express task of resolving the Park Trailer show issue. Members of this committee include Bob Kropf, RPTIA's president; Dan Saltzgiver, co-owner of Reichart's Camping Center; and Bill Garpow, RPTIA's executive director. Following is some past history to bring you up to date: According to Garpow, RVIA currently imposes a two-space limitation on Park Trailer manufacturers when the Louisville Show is in a sold-out condition prior to space drawing. Other exhibitors may be limited; however, only Park Trailer exhibitors face a 50% or more space reduction. This concern has been brought to the attention of RVIA's board on three prior occasions. Show equity is another issue according to Garpow. He said, "Park Trailers have been a viable part of the Louisville Show since their beginning as an industry product. As such, Park Trailer exhibitors have contributed substantially to the equity raised by the show. This equity is then used by RVIA to support its non-show programming. RPTIA (as a not for profit organization) does not receive any of the equity share that its members (as non-members of the RVIA) contribute to the RVIA show and thus to RVIA programs. RPTIA members are convinced that the Park Trailer segment should either be given a fairer allocation of space and equity from RVIA or that RPTIA should produce a parallel Louisville trade show during the same time period. Composite Technologies Inc. and Harney Coach Works Recognized by Oregon OSHA
OSHA recognized Composite Technologies Inc. (CTI), and Harney Coach Works (HCW), both of Hines, OR, as SHARP employers at ceremonies recently. SHARP (Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program) is a program of the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (OR-OSHA), Consultation Services Section. Composite Technologies, a fiberglass manufacturer, and Harney Coach Works, a motorhome manufacturer, are the first SHARP recipients in their respective industries. CTI and HCW are sister companies to Safari Motor Coaches. CTI supplies fiberglass components to Safari Motor Coaches. CTI also supplies HCW and Beaver Motor Coaches with sidewalls, floors, ceilings, and other small laminated products. Lazy Days Exceeds $410 Million in '98 Sales Lazy Days RV SuperCenter continues it's phenomenal growth trend by posting a year-end total exceeding $410 million dollars in overall sales, according to Don Wallace, Lazy Days president and founder. He said, "This $100 million dollar increase over our 1997 sales season represents a total commitment to our customers. The continuing physical growth of Lazy Days is a key element in providing the total RV experience in a manner consistent with the growing wants and needs of our customers." NationsBank Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Fleetwood Credit Corp. NationsBank announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding stock of Fleetwood Credit Corp., the recreational vehicle financing subsidiary of Associates First Capital Corporation. The firm will be managed through the NationsBank Distribution Finance and Specialty Lending unit. The boards of directors of the Bank of America Corporation, of which NationsBank is now a part, and Associates First Capital Corporation have approved the acquisition. It is subject to regulatory approvals. Third Year of GO RVing Coalition's National Ad Campaign Now Underway The Go RVing Coalition's national advertising campaign kicked off the third year of its initial phase in early January as television commercials began to air on national prime time network and cable television and print advertisements started to appear in top consumer publications. With a $6 million media budget -- the largest in campaign history, Go RVing ads will continue to run through June to help generate consumer awareness during the important spring and summer RV selling season. The 1999 program features a refined media schedule designed to expand and maximize the reach of the effort by combining new outlets with top performers from the previous two years. Broadcast Advertising The three television commercials, featuring families enjoying RV interludes amid mountain, lake and seashore settings, will be seen on Sunday evenings on ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney, marking the first time the spots have aired during national network television prime time. Advertising on this popular program, which ranks number one among all prime programming in viewership by adults with the presence of a child, will expose the Go RVing message to an average of 6.5 million adults in the target age group each airing. Ten top cable networks are also part of the broadcast media schedule. All totaled, more than $4 million is budgeted for national and cable network broadcast advertising. Print Advertising Another $2 million will be spent on 47 full-page insertions for the print portion of the advertising schedule. New publications being added include USA Today, Better Homes and Gardens, Reader's Digest (Family Plus edition), Family Circle -- Your Personal Planner, Sports Afield, Country Home, Parenting, Parenting Travel, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, Outdoor Explorer and Disney's Animal Kingdom magazine. Returning magazines include Good Housekeeping, Field & Stream, Family Fun, Family Life and Scouting. The third cycle of the ads is expected to reach 90 percent of the target market of baby boomers with children, some college and a $35,000-plus income an average of 33 times. RVIA Hosts Meeting with State Administrators from RV Code States RVIA staff and members of the association's Standards Steering Committee met with representatives from seven RV code states as well as staff for several third party agencies at the State Administrators Meeting (SAM), held Feb. 2-4, in San Diego, CA. The bulk of the meeting's agenda focused on the proposed Handbook Revisions based on the upcoming 1999 editions of the ANSI A119.2 and National Electrical Code standards. Enforcement positions based on the new requirements were processed through the various RVIA technical committees. Other key topics included establishing a uniform policy on how to measure square footage relating to horse trailer units; RVIA's position on when a conversion vehicle becomes a motorhome; and reviewing the latest draft of the ANSI Standard for Uniform Plan Approval. The meeting with state administrators from RV code states is designed to encourage consistency in standards and enforcement among the states that regulate RV manufacturing. "The interaction among this group is valuable because it helps promote uniform enforcement, which improves product quality and safety while allowing RV manufacturers to build one product for sale in any market area," said RVIA Vice President of Standards and Education Bruce Hopkins. |
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