Motorcoach, Travel Trailer & Camper Manufacturers
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 620 motorcoach, travel trailer, and camper manufacturers in the US produce motorized coaches and converted vans, campers that slide into truck beds, and towable campers, such as fifth wheels and pop-up campers. Firms may also modify cargo trailers such as toy haulers and horse trailers to include living space.
Dependence on Economic Health
The health of the economy and job markets affect consumer demand for new motorhomes, travel trailers and campers.
Reliance on Automobile Manufacturers
Motorcoach and travel trailer manufacturers rely on motor vehicle manufacturers, such as Ford and GM, for chassis, engines, and drivetrain assemblies, as well as vans for conversion.
Industry size & Structure
A typical motorcoach manufacturing firm operates out of a single location, employs 257 workers, and generates about $104 million annually. A typical travel trailer and camper manufacturing firm operates out of a single location, employs 102 workers, and generates $33 million annually.
- The motorcoach, travel trailer and camper manufacturing industry consists of about 620 companies that employ about 69,300 workers and generate about $23 billion annually.
- The industry is highly concentrated with the four largest firms accounting for over 66% of industry revenue.
- Large companies include Thor (Keystone, Heartland, Starcraft, Airstream), Gulfstream (Ameri-Lite, Vista Cruiser, Innsbruck, Conquest), Forest River (Rockwood, Flagstaff, Salem, Wildwood), Winnebago, and Dutchmen (Coleman, Atlas, Rubicon).
Industry Forecast
Motorcoach, Travel Trailer & Camper Manufacturers Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Mar 17, 2023 - RV Shipments Fall in January
- Total RV shipments ended January 2023 with 20,405 units, a decrease of 61.8% compared to the record 53,351 units shipped in January 2022, according to the RV Industry Association’s (RVIA) January 2023 survey of manufacturers. The RVIA said the first half of 2022 was a record year for RV production, making year-over-year comparisons difficult. “With record high RV production through the first half of 2022, the year-over-year decrease we are seeing in this report was expected. We are encouraged by the positive news and high attendance at RV shows across the country and the strong reservation numbers reported by campgrounds,” according to RVIA’s CEO Craig Kirby. Towable RVs, led by conventional travel trailers, ended the month down by 66.8% compared to January 2022, with 16,117 shipments. Motorhomes finished the month 10.1% lower than the same month last year with 4,288 units.
- US manufacturing activity contracted in February 2023, falling below the baseline for growth for the fourth consecutive month, according to the Institute for Supply Management’s Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. The Manufacturing PMI registered 47.7 in February, a slight change from the 47.4 recorded in January. A reading above 50% indicates manufacturing expansion. In February, the ISM’s Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to 47.4%, down from 48.4% in January. February’s New Orders Index remained in the contraction zone at 47%. The February Production Index decreased slightly to 47.3%. Of the manufacturing industries tracked by the ISM, four reported growth in February: Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; Transportation Equipment; Petroleum & Coal Products; and Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components. Fourteen sectors reported contraction, including Computer & Electronic Products, Fabricated Metal Products, Nonmetallic Mineral Products, Plastics & Rubber Products, Primary Metals, Textile Mills, and Wood Products.
- Consumer confidence levels declined in January 2023, following an increase in December 2022, according to data from The Conference Board. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index fell to 107.1 in January 2023 from 109 in December 2022. According to Ataman Ozyildirim, a senior director of economics at The Conference Board, “Consumer confidence declined in January, but it remains above the level seen last July, lowest in 2022. Consumer confidence fell the most for households earning less than $15,000 and for households aged under 35.” While plans to purchase homes have cooled, plans to buy cars and appliances have held steady, per Ozyildirim.
- Nearly 40% of US leisure travelers, representing 67 million Americans, plan to take an RV trip in 2023, according to a survey of leisure travelers by the RV Industry Association (RVIA). The top reasons for RV travel are an increased interest in exploring the outdoors and expanded flexibility through remote work or school. The number of respondents who cited flexibility in work rose by 12% from the previous year, and one in five leisure travelers reported working remoting from an RV during the past two years. Younger leisure travelers also embrace RV travel; 49% of Gen Z travelers and 48% of Millennials are planning an RV trip in the next year. Half of RVers, defined as those who have taken a trip in an RV they rent, own, or borrow in the past 12 months, plan to purchase an RV in the next year, up 14% from the prior year.
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