Thor Industries announces Senior Management Changes

[FordTruck]

From the trade publication RV Pro:

RV PRO This Week - Current

[Secguru]

The article quoted above, and this one:

Thor Announces Management Changes -- JACKSON CENTER, Ohio, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

both indicate that Dicky Riegel, who has run Airstream so well, will be taking charge of Thor's Bus group. Neither article indicates who will be placed in charge of Airstream, or if that will remain under Dicky, or what changes could result in Airstream build quality under new management.

With Airstream leading the industry out of recession, one would hope that the mission of build quality would be well understood by Thor. But I get nervous every time Airstream management has a hiccup! History indicates that can be followed by the flu and then by forgetting what made Airstream the industry leader that it is.

Is there another Wally somewhere in Thor management? Someone who loves the trailer, loves the community, loves camping, traveling, full-timing, all that Airstream means to the American spirit? Please let it be so!

[Frank's Trailer Works]

I could be mistaken, but Dicky Regal has not run Airstream for years now. Bob Wheeler runs Airstream. He does a great job if you ask me. You do realize that Thor owns many RV lines Airstream being one of them?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Secguru

...... forgetting what made Airstream the industry leader that it is.

Just how is Airstream "leading"?

[craftsman]

Also, could you explain " he does a great job" How?

[Frank's Trailer Works]

I guess that was directed at me, though it will take more than five words to answer...

Bob Wheeler is very approachable. You can email him and he actually replies. He makes very public appearances at numerous events. The company he is president of continues to make trailers even in this down economic times. The broadening of the Euro market and the Asian market show a certain amount of forward thinking also. Airstream continues to put out a product that people buy. Seeing from your signature you have bought in not too long ago. Perhaps your own version of success is different, but in my eyes he is doing a good job. If you look at how Thor operates, if he were not doing a good job, he would have been gone long ago. Another big if would be stock values. If Airstream were publicly traded you could get a fairly good gauge from that.

I assume now, you will tell me how wrong I am.

[woppa 4]

OK Bob: Percentage increase in production levels, can be deceiving. However. What other RV ( those that have not bellied up) company has increased production, regardless of the percentages. Maybe I have missed it. Dandy Rv, Anniston/Oxford Al.; includes a large Camping World facility, is now an AS/Service C. ( serviced my SOB) excellent outfit. We now have two in Al. I am aware of the situation in NJ. AS should have a dealer. RV targeted folks are moving to warmer climates. RV industry will follow. (Come south young man, come south)! Roll Tide Mel

[woppa 4]

Sorry for the add on: Dandy, is also a dealer. Is currently stocking new AS units. Mel

[craftsman]

Originally Posted by 62overlander

I guess that was directed at me, though it will take more than five words to answer...

Bob Wheeler is very approachable. You can email him and he actually replies. He makes very public appearances at numerous events. The company he is president of continues to make trailers even in this down economic times. The broadening of the Euro market and the Asian market show a certain amount of forward thinking also. Airstream continues to put out a product that people buy. Seeing from your signature you have bought in not too long ago. Perhaps your own version of success is different, but in my eyes he is doing a good job. If you look at how Thor operates, if he were not doing a good job, he would have been gone long ago. Another big if would be stock values. If Airstream were publicly traded you could get a fairly good gauge from that.



I assume now, you will tell me how wrong I am.

No, you may be right but I just wonder, has quality improved under Bob Wheelers leadership. This is probably one of the most important issues to existing and future customers. Although Airstream may have opened new markets, continue to survive in a down economy, and sell units I think customers are becoming increasingly unhappy with the actual product. Not the idea of Airstream ownership but the reality. There are probably only a handfull of dealership who offer well trained service people and with a few exceptions the sales people don't know the product as well as they should. People may love the factory tour but driving there for repairs at your own expense gets old fast, and that's excactly what a lot of customers do because they can't trust the dealer service.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by woppa 4

OK Bob: Percentage increase in production levels, can be deceiving. However. What other RV ( those that have not bellied up) company has increased production, regardless of the percentages. Maybe I have missed it. Dandy Rv, Anniston/Oxford Al.; includes a large Camping World facility, is now an AS/Service C. ( serviced my SOB) excellent outfit. We now have two in Al. I am aware of the situation in NJ. AS should have a dealer. RV targeted folks are moving to warmer climates. RV industry will follow. (Come south young man, come south)! Roll Tide Mel

Mel,
WADR,

Nothing about a quality product in your post.

I had a 63 Safari for 18yrs, so I know a little about then and now.

The now in NO way lives up to the then.

My rants are not against the trailer, they are against what Airstream has lost in the last several decades.
Would I give my Classic up for some other brand?...no way, I enjoy everything about USING it, but have nothing good to say about the obvious loss of PRIDE in the way it's being presented to us today.

I grant you that Airstream is "way ahead of the pack", but the pack is mediocre at best, if in fact they want to be considered an "American Icon", should they not at least give us a modern trailer lives up to how I felt about my 63?

If I were a bit younger and knew then what I know now, would I sell my beloved 63, what do you think?

One more time folks....We love the "Airstream Lifestyle", it has given us many wonderful memories over the years, it's just a bit of the old "Airstream Pridestyle" thats lacking.

ps it's NY without a dealer, NJ has one of the best.

[craftsman]

True, true, true. If the American auto industry can bring back pride in build quality, I'm sure Airstream can as well. The ONLY way they will though is if customers stay on them. They will not do this on their own, they will continue to build for higher profit and lower quality.

[newroswell]

I wish they would spend $11 million a year building better Airstreams.

Thor executive inks new deal - Dayton Business Journal:

[wayneskid]

I probably shouldn't get into this but I just took delivery of a 2010 Interstate 3500. After the 4100 mile trip to bring it home to Alaska, I have these impressions about my first Airstream product:
Design and engineering: A-
Quality of components and materials: A-/B+
Build quality & fit/finish: B-/C+
Most of what is visible is put together fairly well and gives one the impression that it was built with a certain amount of pride. But when I looked inside of some of the hidden spaces in the process of correcting some defects, I found a few examples of some frighteningly shoddy work. In one case, I completely removed a section of paneling and re-installed it correctly. It was so bad I just couldn't stand to leave it dangling there by one stripped out screw! Whoever did this was having a really bad day or is a world class hack and should find employment elsewhere. I was doing my own corrective work because there is no AS dealer in AK so I hope to heck that most of the important functional stuff was done right.

All things considered, I love this rig and have high hopes for the future with it.

WS in AK