Very Disappointed with New Keystone Alpine

ToddD wrote:

laknox wrote:


The industry as a whole could start by:

1) Adopting an industry-wide building code.
2) Geting off the pay-per-piece wages that allow the crews to build the day's quota as fast as they can, then leave. Meaning, if they can build the X units for the day's quota in 5 hours, they go home. If the mfr wants X units, make the crews build them in a normal 8 hour shift.

As an owner of a manufacturing firm, I don’t have a problem with work being done fast, I just have a problem of bad work being done fast.

This is a quality accountability problem, not a speed problem.

However, with a workforce supply issue in the Elkhart area, it is difficult to deploy a culture of quality, as the workers themselves are key ingredients in that strategy.

It’s not impossible to increase output with a fixed labor input while simultaneously holding a high quality standard, but it is definitely difficult to do, which is why there is a quality issue across most of the industry right now.

To achieve high efficiency with quality, first you need quality workers.

Have to agree with all of that. It's an effect of the times and the current generations now of age to be in the workforce. We manufacturer specialty structural building components and keeping our plants staffed is next to impossible despite good wages, benefits, and union representation. On new hires failing preliminary background and drugs tests is 25% or more of all applicants. I don't even know what The turnover rate is, I lost interest in tracking it.....60 to 70%. The 20 /30 year olds today for the most part do not want anything to do with anything considered manual work, but they want top dollar pay. I'm sure glad I only have to deal with it a few more years.

That being said the RV Industry operates in cycles of relative boom and bust. The curve is getting ready to start the downturn if it hasn't already. Just wait and see what happens once the price of oil gets a little higher. The execs know the industry well, and are doing everything they can think of to hold prices, sales levels, and more importantly provide return to investors as long as possible. The only place they can get the savings is cheaper materials and lower labor costs which is usually in the form of more out the door with less. It's not sustainable. RVs are a by product of the main business which is making money, and they (The execs) all know that sooner rather than later they'll be looking for a new job or shuttering facilities. That day is right around the corner.