Gdetrailer wrote:
jdc1 wrote:
If it's made in Indiana, you might not like it. $7.25/hour wages do not buy quality.
Wage of the workers does not make one difference in "quality".
Build quality and price are however directly related to what the cheapskate buyer is willing to pay.
Don't want to pay much for a RV? You get cheap materials, cheap construction for being a cheapskate.
Spent my last 22 yrs working in a high tech robotics manufacturing business and seen it all.. Typical starting wages at that place was right at $10 per hr..
Yeah, even at that wage had to deal with constant no shows, drunks and heavily laced drug addicts along with the constant slackers that couldn't care less about quality. Seen at least half of our production crew get fired over the years by constantly tripping the late or no show boundaries one too many times.
You could easily quadruple the $10 starting wage and still get the same crowd and it just costs the company more money and yet you get absolutely no better quality.
RV manufacturers build to the target price range that they know will sell, very few will build $100K 22ft travel trailers because that market simply is too small. The only exception I can think of to that may be the diehard AirStream buyers but those buyers will buy an AirStream at any price.
You contradicted yourself here. Wages absolutely make a difference. Corporations will always justify huge management salaries by talking about how they have to attract "top performers" to remain competitive. Why doesn't that also apply to the workers on the factory floor? If you pay them the least the law allows, that sends a powerful message to your workforce, the message that they have little value to the company and are easily replaced.
RE your comments on price. TTs are at the very bottom of the price range and represent about half of all RVs sold. Airstreams are worth the price (for the most part) due to their construction. Show me any 20 year old Rockwood or Jayco that's had a full frame-off restoration or customization. There are AS from the 40's and 50's still traveling and creating memories. IMO AS are worth every penny and the market there is strong.
There are PLENTY of buyers at every price range. Look at the boom in Class Bs. A used AS Interstate is easily $250k. At the recent Alemeda RV show, the least expensive Class B I saw was a used unit at $84k. Class A prices START where high'end TTs end.
Lance is currently the RV industry's cautionary tale, with 2022 production in turmoil. They've been cutting corners and changing designs in order to lower costs and their customers are noticing and not buying. This needs to happen across the RV spectrum to see any real change.
Quit blaming the workers. We (consumers) speak the loudest with our $$$
