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Old 02-10-2022, 08:20 AM   #1
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Kildeer , Illinois
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Most recent Airstream factory "slowdown"

Many of us with AS's on order received an email from our dealer last week saying that Airstream will have a factory "slowdown" which will delay our order. Clearly, the dealer you ordered from makes a difference as some are delayed up to 10 months and mine is delayed 1 month. My question: Assuming Airstream is not reducing labor personnel, is it reasonable to think that the slowdown could improve the overall quality of units being built during this slowdown? A reasonable person would think that slowing down would allow for more time to do the same job. No real way to measure any improvement but one can hope..... Mine is "scheduled" to be built over the next couple of months.
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Old 02-10-2022, 08:30 AM   #2
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I just heard of this yesterday from my dealer. I’ve not yet received my build sheet so I’m sure the impact for me is more significant than some whose builds is further along. I’ll bet my GT 30’ build easily slides from this October to well into next year. I’ve heard they have a shortage of fridges, wiring harnesses, plumbing and mattresses.

Fortunately I may have a Plan B
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Old 02-13-2022, 10:55 AM   #3
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I had heard of this on these forums, and got worried my GT 30' too would be delayed by a few months.

I emailed my dealer for an update, and to my surprise it had only been pushed back about a week after the slowdown announcement, from 3-1-22 to 3-9-22.

I hope it finally can be built, as the date just gets closer and closer...then a week delay sets it back.
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Old 02-14-2022, 09:59 AM   #4
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This morning, per my dealer:

"Yes several production delays happening! I’ve been told an additional 8 week delay, but don’t know how that effects all the units and which ones it effects. I’m sorry for the little bit of update, I have very little information to go off of!"
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Old 02-14-2022, 10:38 AM   #5
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Hi

This is not the first time they have done this. There have been multiple "push outs" over the last couple years. They *are* getting better about forecasting them. They also are getting better at informing people of what happened to their order.

As far as anybody can tell, the root issue is parts sourcing. This or that shortage is driving out the delivery of this or that trailer. That's all that is going on here.

Folks have been loudly complaining about Airstream "quality" pretty much continuously since at least the early 1950's. Since that's when I first "came on the scene" it well could go back further. Since it's been an issue for 70+ years, I don't see it changing any time soon .... Indeed I can point to many of the same issues on my 2017 trailer as folks complained about "back then".

Bob
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Old 02-14-2022, 10:54 AM   #6
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Agree that nothing new with the most recent slowdown. My question was mostly philosophical regarding the "hope" that a slowdown would allow more time for workers to do the job right. Clearly no quality control procedural changes and nothing to measure. I do know workers complain they don't have enough time to do a good job for given tasks with performance based on number of units rather than quality. Probably just dreaming things could be marginally better.....
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Old 02-14-2022, 11:24 AM   #7
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The hope that quality will improve during a slow down assumes that Airstream will continue to pay to man the line at full capacity when they may instead lay off workers.

Managers today, generally, are not incentivized to improve quality so much as they are incentivized to improve productivity. So, man-hours-per unit (trailer) is measured and rewarded more than quality-per-unit.

And you can be sure that Thor is much more interested in how much it (labor) costs to build a trailer.
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Old 02-14-2022, 11:37 AM   #8
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Pretty much what skyguyscott wrote! x2
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Old 02-15-2022, 08:24 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skyguyscott View Post
......

Managers today, generally, are not incentivized to improve quality so much as they are incentivized to improve productivity. ......
Hi

That's been true for a very long time (centuries) in pretty much every company that has survived to still be here a few years later.

Bob
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Old 02-15-2022, 08:37 AM   #10
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I'm still waiting for the build sheet on the 30' GT we ordered Jan 2nd. My guess is it is going to get delayed even further than a year from that date.

Also, see other thread in the forum about AS discontinuing the 23' Globetrotter Twin. Eliminating models is another facet of trying to keep up with production. I know a person who had the 23'GT on order for a May delivery and just heard yesterday AS had cancelled it. The dealer offered him a brand new FC 23' or they could order a 23' international. I expect to see many more stories like this over the next few months.
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Old 02-27-2022, 06:25 PM   #11
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We ordered a Globetrotter 23 fbt on July 5,2021. Delayed until sometime in June 2022 from Tampa Airstream. Better not tell me it’s canceled, not gonna happen.
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Old 02-28-2022, 04:17 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Angry View Post
We ordered a Globetrotter 23 fbt on July 5,2021. Delayed until sometime in June 2022 from Tampa Airstream. Better not tell me it’s canceled, not gonna happen.
If you have a build sheet and VIN number you should be able to contact the factor directly for status. We ordered a 30' GT on Jan 2nd of this year from Airstream of Tampa and still do not have a build sheet. They said October of this year but I'll bet that's not going to happen.
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Old 02-28-2022, 10:53 AM   #13
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Hi

Like it or not, AS does indeed drop models from their lineup. They also add them back in some number of years later. Just what tweaks they do as part of this process is very much up to to them.

At some point in the year, this or that line gets moved from making "this year" to tooling up for "next year". Some years on some models, that changeover happens quite early (like now). In other years and on other models, it might not happen until summer.

Times are not normal. Figuring out what will happen this year is near impossible. In a normal year, a factory cutover / cutoff sometime in May is not unusual. The idea seems to be to get the "new" year models out to dealers so they can show / sell them during the summer selling season.

Just what they will do with this or that order on this or that model this year ... we'll see.

Bob
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Old 03-06-2022, 10:28 AM   #14
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We ordered our AS 28’ International RBT in late June of last year from AS of Tampa. Was originally told it would be offline by end of December 2021. Then pushed out to February then March, now saying June of 2022. If that holds true it will be a full year waiting. Anyone else having this kind of delay?
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Old 03-06-2022, 10:35 AM   #15
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We ordered a Classic in Dec 2021. Still no VIN or build sheet. I am thinking it will be December before it arrives... possibly even January 2023 at the rate things are going.
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Old 03-11-2022, 08:38 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KCurtis View Post
We ordered a Classic in Dec 2021. Still no VIN or build sheet. I am thinking it will be December before it arrives... possibly even January 2023 at the rate things are going.
Sounds about right. We ordered on 11/12 (order submitted to AS on 11/15). Our dealer just let us know we're looking at a mid-late October '22 delivery.
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Old 03-12-2022, 06:21 AM   #17
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Ordered 12-3-21. Got my vin and build sheet on 1-6-22. The original Build date was July and moved to completion at 10-21-22 according to my dealer. Their next order my good friends. He bought it on the same day . Mine was the first order in. His completion is one month later.
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Old 03-15-2022, 06:18 AM   #18
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we ordered June 2021 projected delivery Sept 2022
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Old 03-15-2022, 06:11 PM   #19
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We ordered ours on April 23, 2021. It was delivered to the dealership on February 16, 2022. We consider ourselves lucky to have it for the upcoming camping season.
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Old 04-01-2022, 08:08 AM   #20
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We ordered our International FB27 on November 4, 2021. Originally told July 2022. Got an email in January delivery date would be November 22, 2022.
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