4X4Dodger wrote:
spadoctor wrote:
As a former employee of the original Coachmen company I think I am qualified to reply. Some of what has been said is true but much is untrue. First the workers are NOT simply paid by the piece...its a base with a productivity bonus. It varies by company but all about the same. As for no jigs levels etc....totally untrue. there is a great deal of design built into the manufacturing process but keep in mind the materials used here have great variables unlike the auto industry. You can't compare a traditional home or even a modular to these as components are built in different places and assembled. The big thing to remember is all rv's are built with two things in mind....selling price point and profit. The average buyer is more impressed with their solid surface countertops and SS appliances then they are about how it is made and that is always in the companies mind. You want to add fancy appointments and sound systems and tv etc that money comes from someplace to meet the price point....construction....its that simple. One last point....the dealer is the last QC of the product and as such is paid a PDI fee....however many dealers don't bother to check a unit....fill the propane wash it and out the door. He is the equivalent of the punchlist guy a builder sends in to fix the screw-ups made while building your house. Can a better unit be built...for sure....but the public want fancy and cheap.
Finally some common sense in this thread.
Anyone with Enginering design and manufacturing experience will be able to look at something and pretty much tell you how it got built. When I took apart my slide on my 2004 Gulfstream Innsbruck to replace the floor it was obvious to me that many parts of the slide assy were made as separate assemblies and brought together on the floor to be put to final assembly.
It was clear that a lot of thought and design went into the MFG. It was also clear that many individual parts had ben pre-cut or formed.
The real driving force behind the way RV's are manufactured is the cost of labor and how many man hours it takes to produce a unit. The cost must be kept low to COMPETE in a very competitive market where MSRP is a fiction and discounts are heavy.
You don't get a Rolls for the price of a Chevy and Americans always sem to want the lowest pric for everything. The Manufacturers must comply or die out.
I agree with this and LANTLEY'S comment about quality mfg going out of business because people were not willing to spend the money for quality.
