New style pop-tops from New Age
Fast-growing caravan brand to open dedicated R&D facility as it aims for top-5 manufacturer statusNot satisfied with almost doubling its caravan output since moving into its new purpose-built factory in Epping, Victoria nearly 12 months ago, Melbourne’s New Age Caravans is now planning to expand its product range into pop-tops and even motorhomes.
New Age has been the talk of the RV industry since it move from wall framing to full caravan manufacture in 2009.
Starting with its 13ft ‘Little Joey, named after co-founder Joe Barrasso, the company under Joe’s managing director wife Gabby built up to a peak of building 15 vans a week in lengths from 16ft to 24ft before outgrowing its previous Metrolink Circuit site and moving to its current freehold premises in Epping in July last year, with state of the art CNC furniture cutting equipment in house and a current factory floor staff of 130.
But to stay ahead of the game and cement their place amongst Australia’s top five caravan manufacturers, they plan to turn their wholly owned building next door into a dedicated R&D facility to develop new products.
“We want to do things better than our rivals,” explained new marketing manager Mende Aleksoski. “For example, we will be introducing new pop-top models, but they won’t be built the way they were four or five years ago.
“We are looking at new technology and manufacturing techniques and the factory will be used to build new concept vans and prototypes.’
No doubt helping New Age’s decision is the $1 million Government
and Ford Australia-funded grant the company has been granted for initiatives to assist in retraining and placing former Ford workers following the nearby Broadmeadows Plant’s imminent closure following Ford’s withdrawal from Australian manufacture in 2015/2016.
Aleksoski said New Age’s emerging status as one of Victoria’s largest and most progressive caravan builders helped it achieve the grant, claiming that the company had the lowest number of warranty claims amongst all Victorian caravan builders.
He also said New Age was investigating a move into motorhomes in the future. “Everything is on the agenda,” he said.
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