When a Woman runs a RV Company
Fast-growing Melbourne manufacturer aims to steal more market share from Jayco with release of new camper trailer
For decades Jayco has been the clear sales leader in the Australian RV manufacturing industry, with upwards of 10,000 annual production or up to 50 per cent of the overall market.
But the Dandenong, Victoria-based manufacturer is facing perhaps its first serious threat from a cross-town rival that’s only been in business for seven years.
A pioneer of the apartment-style interior look now found in most Australian vans, New Age Caravans is growing faster than your front lawn in spring, with production doubling from 20 to 40 vans a week over the past 18 months, according to CEO Gabby Montagnese (pictured).
Over the same period the Epping, Victoria-based manufacturer has doubled its workforce to 200 employees, boosted by a $1million government grant that has allowed it to not only modernize manufacturing processes but focus more on research and development and quality control.
With a production capacity of 50 vans a week, New Age expects to soon outgrow the 7000sq.m factory it moved into in mid-2013. Following the recent sale of its factory-owned Melbourne dealership to Preston Motors, the plan is build more factory space on nearby land allowing production to increase to 3000 a year.
Already selling more full-height caravans than Jayco, New Age is set to steal further market share with the introduction of a new entry-level model that will be a direct rival to Jayco’s big-selling camper range.
Like Jayco, New Age has recently moved to a single-franchise dealer network, with most of its 14 dealers in six states now only selling New Age models. Next month a New Age dealership will also open in New Zealand, joining a select group of Australian manufacturers that have officially crossed the ditch including Jayco and more recently Bailey.
New Age started the mass market Apartment look, now common in Australian Caravans
For decades Jayco has been the clear sales leader in the Australian RV manufacturing industry, with upwards of 10,000 annual production or up to 50 per cent of the overall market.
But the Dandenong, Victoria-based manufacturer is facing perhaps its first serious threat from a cross-town rival that’s only been in business for seven years.
A pioneer of the apartment-style interior look now found in most Australian vans, New Age Caravans is growing faster than your front lawn in spring, with production doubling from 20 to 40 vans a week over the past 18 months, according to CEO Gabby Montagnese (pictured).
Over the same period the Epping, Victoria-based manufacturer has doubled its workforce to 200 employees, boosted by a $1million government grant that has allowed it to not only modernize manufacturing processes but focus more on research and development and quality control.
With a production capacity of 50 vans a week, New Age expects to soon outgrow the 7000sq.m factory it moved into in mid-2013. Following the recent sale of its factory-owned Melbourne dealership to Preston Motors, the plan is build more factory space on nearby land allowing production to increase to 3000 a year.
Already selling more full-height caravans than Jayco, New Age is set to steal further market share with the introduction of a new entry-level model that will be a direct rival to Jayco’s big-selling camper range.
Like Jayco, New Age has recently moved to a single-franchise dealer network, with most of its 14 dealers in six states now only selling New Age models. Next month a New Age dealership will also open in New Zealand, joining a select group of Australian manufacturers that have officially crossed the ditch including Jayco and more recently Bailey.
New Age started the mass market Apartment look, now common in Australian Caravans
