“They could downscale and make smaller models. They could make many other non-RV products”
They make very few “million dollar motorhomes” in Elkhart. The majority of the motorhomes made there are class c and retail for between 60,000 and 80,000 dollars which would still put it out of my league.
They also manufacture all the Fed-Ex and UPS trucks that you see all over the country as well as small box delivery vehicles.
They’re having a tough time right now but Elkhart is filled with fine hard working people and I know they will work their way out of this mess somehow.
Country Coach, Monaco, and Bluebird Wanderlodge have filed for Chapter 11. Bluebird was a little higher end with
coaches close to a million +. All three of these companies
had product line from low 300k to 900k.
The factory lots are jammed with unsold units and they’ll
probably sit for years, the market for this has crashed.
There's nothing wrong with the fine hard working people in Elkhart, or anywhere else. Managers (especially at the executive level) are supposed to be managing resources, including the marketing research for current and potential saleable products.
Your comment provides some great ideas. 60k to 80k is out of your league, as it is for many others. What could we make for 10k, or 30k, with our materials, tools, and people that might sell in that league?
If the market for FedEx and UPS trucks is saturated, what can we make with our materials, tools, and people that would sell, and where the pieces could be packaged and shipped in UPS and FedEx trucks.
This is the kind of thinking that managers are supposed to do.