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 Industry Structure, How Firms Opertate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Quarterly Insight, 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
Coronavirus Update
May 14, 2022 - RV Shipments Rise Ahead of Summer
- Total RV shipments ended March with 64,454 units, an increase of 18.7% compared to the 54,291 units shipped during March 2021. Through March, RV shipments were up 15.5% against the same point last year with 171,466 wholesale shipments, according to the RV Industry Association’s March 2022 survey of manufacturers. Both the month of March and the first quarter of 2022 set new highs for shipments in any single month and quarter, respectively, the survey found. Towable RVs, led by conventional travel trailers, ended the month up 19.5% against last March with 58,902 shipments. Motorhomes finished the month up 11.3% compared to the same month last year with 5,552 units.
- The US manufacturing sector added 55,000 jobs in April 2022, a one-month net job change second only to leisure and hospitality. Government economists said the majority of manufacturers’ gains came from hiring at durable goods plants. Wood product producers added 3,600 positions, machinery makers tacked on 7,400 and businesses that craft transportation equipment — including motor vehicle parts — added 13,700 jobs. The latest figures show manufacturers pumping the breaks on wage increases. After increasing by 15 cents an hour between February and March, the average hourly wage in manufacturing rose only half that—7 cents—between March and April. It is now $24.78 an hour.
- The RV manufacturing industry took the opportunity in April 2022 to raise legislator awareness regarding the expiration of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program in late 2020 and its importance to the industry. The GSP allows imports from approved developing nations to enter the US market duty-free and without reciprocity. While the RV industry typically sources domestically, it does rely on low-cost imports for some materials and parts. Failure by lawmakers to re-approve the GSP is costing the RV industry over $1 million per month, according to the RV Industry Association.
- About 83% of surveyed travelers indicated they would be likely to vacation in an RV or campervan if COVID resurged in 2022, according to Outdoorsy. Either way, 91% plan to take a road trip in 2022. “If there is a permanent change in people’s mindsets regarding leisure travel post-pandemic, it would be an increased emphasis on factors like cleanliness, safety and convenience – all factors that play into RV-style, self-contained travel.”
- Employment at RV dealerships has been on a steady climb over the past decade, reached a high in Summer 2021, and has remained elevated. Employment in March 2022 was up 10.7% from a year earlier and 14.3% from pre-pandemic March 2020.
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