Recreational Vehicle Manufacturing

Brief Excerpt from Industry Overview Chapter:

Companies in this industry manufacture campers, motor homes, and travel trailers. Major companies include Forest River, REV Group (owner of the Fleetwood and Monaco brands), Thor Industries, and Winnebago (all based in the US), along with Hymer (Germany), Swift Group (UK), and Trigano (France).

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by consumer income and demographics, as RV buyers are mainly middle aged and older. The profitability of individual companies depends on the ability to design desirable products. Large companies have economies of scale in production and distribution. Small companies can compete successfully by concentrating on a product line or by specializing in components. The US industry is highly concentrated: the 20 largest motor home manufacturers account for more than 95% of all the industry revenue; the top 50 travel trailer manufacturers generate about 90% of industry revenue.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Conventional travel trailers account for about 40% of the industry revenue, followed by other recreational vehicles about (20%), light truck horse trailers (about 15%). Other products include light truck boats (about 5%). Some manufacturers also make "park" models, which are essentially small, manufactured homes that require hookups and are intended to be moved, but only occasionally.