RR,
FYI, I owned a design and engineering business for many decades before finally letting go and retiring. Mostly was automotive: Pickups, vans, and SUV's working with GM, Ford, and Chryslers Corps engineering groups. Some with RV manufacturers as we always had at least one RV owned constantly since 1965 and it was an evolving and growing entitiy. Owned as many as 4 RV's at one time. Large Allegro MH, 2 Carriage 5th wheels, and a Lance truck camper. Been RV'ing a lot for 52 years now and still am. Far from "looney" or a novice!
I'd personally fairly recently had a product meeting with Amy Duthie who is the director of new trailer towables at Jayco USA in Middlebury, Indiana. Ben is for the motorized division/5h wheels etc then. I only live about 120 miles from Jayco's headquarters, a really huge complex on the south side of Middlebury. Family owned since 1968 and the largest by far non-corporate owned RV manufacturer in the world. Documented! BTW, Jayco USA knows me and I know them!
I had talked several times with Lloyd Bontrager many times back in the very early 1980's about using some innovative new ideas before his death crash but didn't want to change things. Later, with Al Yoder, and can't remember the other one's name, in around 1991 or 1992 about trying/using Astro-Foil for an insulation blanket wrap in their higher end trailers but he wasn't interested. However, Clarence Yoder (CT Yoder) who'd founded Carriage Corp with his brothers and then totally owned Carriage Corp did in 1993 and it then became an option and then was standard on many of their fine models. Of note, is that Jayco also uses foil bubble wrap today as an option or standard on many of their models. Just took time for them to learn!
I still own the 1st and original Carriage 5th wheel built with Astro-Foil and it's not for sale, period. I'd done a fair amount of work/engineering with several RV manufacturers back then in the Northern Indiana area over the years and know many of them. Some still going strong and other been swallowed up by corps or closed. Northern Indiana is the World's Center for RV manufacturing and their suppliers by far and employs hundreds of thousands. There are 15 RV manufacturer's in Elkhart County Indiana alone and the claim is that 1 out of every 2 RV's built are made or were made in Elkhart County, Indiana. All you need to do is look up the FACTS!
