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NEWS
Positive outlook for Fleetwood
Orders up, along with staff numbers at Perth-based manufacturer of Coromal and Windsor caravansFleetwood’s Coromal and Windsor caravans remain “valuable assets despite previous management’s lack of investment in production development over a number of years,” new chairman Phillip Campbell has told shareholders at the company’s AGM in Perth today.
Campbell said the appointment of ex-Avida RV general manager Peter Naylor to the position of Executive General Manager of Fleetwood’s RV business in mid-2015 has helped contribute to a turnaround in Coromal and Windsor sales.
Formerly among the top-three biggest-selling Australian RV manufacturers, Fleetwood had been losing market share since 2011, when its RV division made a profit of $18.2 million. The RV manufacturing division lost $8.1 million in 2015/16, off the back of $29.6 million in revenue.
Campbell revealed there had been a 300 per cent increase in orders following the roll-out of five new models including the latest Coromal Silhouette off-road camper and top-spec Princeton caravan with 4.5m long slide-out (pictured). He said more new models are “in the pipeline” with some expected to be unveiled at major caravan shows in 2017.
He also said overall weekly production is up by 150 per cent, and factory staff numbers have more than doubled to 215 – although still down from a peak of 390. Having to reduce staff numbers to less than 100 at one point had meant “our shop floor manufacturing skill base was severely weakened”. However, this was being redressed by an “intensive training program” for new production staff while “new materials and manufacturing processes are being introduced to drive down costs of manufacture”.
Campbell said Fleetwood had also recruited “new and talented designers and engineers to transform our design capability”.
“We have confidence in the new RV management team and will keep investing in the recovery of one of the cornerstones of the Fleetwood business,” he said.
As well as building Coromal and Windsor caravans and campers, the ASX-listed Fleetwood Corporation owns the RV-related Camec, Flexiglass and Bocar brands, and supplies housing for the resources and education sectors.
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Written byCaravancampingsales Staff
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