Recreational Vehicle Manufacturing Industry Profile

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).

The US recreational vehicle (RV) manufacturing industry consists of about 800 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $20 billion.

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 50 largest motor home manufacturers account for almost all of industry revenue; the top 50 travel trailer manufacturers generate about 90% of industry revenue.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Travel trailers and campers together account for about 80% of industry revenue; motor homes account for about 20%. Some manufacturers also make "park" models, which are essentially small, manufactured homes that require hookups and are intended to be moved, but only occasionally.

Motor homes are complete, self-propelled units. Travel trailers are complete units that must be towed by a car or truck. "Fifth-wheel" trailers are towed from a mount in a pick-up truck and extend ...