Thor Subsidiary Details Expansion

by Lori Snyder on 9/16/2014 in elkhart, indiana, business, thor industries

A subsidiary of Elkhart-based Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) is planning to invest nearly $8 million to expand and renovate several buildings and add 85 jobs. Heartland RV says the moves will increase production capacity by nearly 20 percent.

Elkhart, Ind. — Thor Industries, Inc. (NYSE: THO) today announced several projects to expand production and office space at its Heartland subsidiary in Elkhart. The projects include the purchase and renovation of an existing office building, expansion of a plant dedicated to production of lightweight travel trailers, expansion of a production facility to produce Toy Haulers, the renovation and dedication of a single facility to the production of destination trailers and the purchase and renovation of a building for a new service center.

“Heartland has made great strides in growing our sales and enhancing our market position to the point where we need to make an investment in infrastructure to support our future growth,” commented Chris Hermon, Heartland President. “In total, we are planning to invest nearly $8 million in new or renovated facilities to take better care of our dealer partners and retail consumers, at both the front end with enhanced production and the back end with superior service after the sale. We are truly excited with this expansion program as it will allow us to not only meet the needs of dealers and consumers but also exceed their expectations.”

Heartland’s expansion program includes a new dedicated facility to build lightweight travel trailers with greater efficiency and even higher quality standards. The Company also renovated another facility to house the production of its #1 selling toy hauler. Heartland announced that it would begin producing destination trailers in a dedicated facility with year round production, illustrating its leadership in that unique market. Finally, Heartland is improving its service capabilities with the addition of 15 service bays to meet the needs of retail customers, as well as a new service lounge to enhance the customer experience.

With its focus on products that are growing fastest in the market, Heartland expects to increase overall production capacity by nearly 20%, while adding approximately 85 jobs in Elkhart.

About Thor Industries, Inc.
Thor is the sole owner of operating subsidiaries that, combined, represent one of the world’s largest manufacturers of recreational vehicles.

Source: Thor Industries Inc.