TS closed plant and all offices yesterday with only a sign on gate. Word is they'll reopen Monday but not clear what's going on.

Hmmmmmmmm.....

Inquiring minds want to know.

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Originally posted by ecker:
TS closed plant and all offices yesterday with only a sign on gate. Word is they'll reopen Monday but not clear what's going on.

I don't want to get hit with copyright problems so here is just an excerpt from RV Business News.
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Luxury motorhome and fifth-wheel builder Travel Supreme Inc. unexpectedly closed down administrative and production facilities on Wednesday (Jan. 23) with plans to reopen on Monday.

A sign on the Wakarusa, Ind.-based manufacturer’s office door indicated that the company would return to operation on Monday, sparking rumors that the firm had shuttered its doors permanently. The gated product yard, which was locked Wednesday afternoon, housed around 15 fifth-wheels and a few motorhomes.

That's a big surprise, I wonder what's up with that?

It could be possible they are reorganizing under the bankruptcy laws and needed the time to organize and get all the inventory under control for the judge. Then on Monday they start over.

JMHO

David

From the Truth Newspaper, Elkhart, IN

WAKARUSA -- A handwritten sign taped to the front door read "Office closed until Monday," but officials at Travel Supreme were mum as to the reasons for stopping production and shutting the doors on Wednesday.

At the recreational vehicle maker's headquarters on S.R. 19, a man, who unlocked the entrance to the main office, declined to give his name but said business was slow as with other local RV factories so it has shut down for a few days and it intends to reopen on Monday.

How many employees have been impacted by the closure is unknown.

Travel Supreme, 66149 S.R. 19, was founded in May 1989 as a maker of luxury fifth wheels and 10 years later expanded into Class A motorhomes, according to the company's Web site. The site also contains information on the company's new 2009 model entry-level motorhome, the Avalon, and fifth wheel.

Wakarusa Town Manager Tom Roeder said Wednesday evening that Travel Supreme had not contacted him about the closure and he was unsure what had happened. He expects to talk with company officials in the next few days.

Shipments of RVs during 2007 trailed 2006 totals and in November, the industry turned in the lowest number of shipments since 2003, according to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association. A slowing national economy and a growing credit crunch are blamed for the downturn.

The towable RV market has been particularly hard hit, off 11.3 percent year-to-date through November 2007, the most recent figures available. Fifth-wheel shipments were down 8.6 percent.

Conversely, shipments of motorhomes have rebounded slightly from 2006, up 0.7 percent year to date, but for the month of November fell 26.9 percent compared with November 2006.

Downtown at Wakarusa Hardware, owner Kenny Twa was saddened by the rumors he had heard about Travel Supreme. The small shop supplies the RV maker with some items, including screws, plumbing pipes or brackets for every unit made at the plant. Also, mechanics from the service department often come to the store looking for parts.

"They're a very good customer," Twa said while leaning against a ladder used to reach the top shelves. "They will be missed."

Every RV manufacturer has trouble from time to time, he said, and he is willing to do what he can to keep Travel Supreme going. If the company does not reopen, Twa said his business will not drop to the point where he will have to close but "for any small business like myself, in a little community like this, you feel it."

The bespectacled Twa will feel the loss beyond his pocketbook. He liked having the hardware he sells used in Travel Supreme's RVs.

"I was always quite proud," he said, "that every time I saw one go down the street, something in them came from this store."

Welcome hookem to the TS Forum and irv2.
Thanks for that bit of info, hope as they say its only temperary.
Enjoy the forums and do post often.

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Welcome hookem , I notice your first post. welcome to iRv2.com

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let's all hope it done turn into like what happen to NATIONAL

TS builds a quality product. Let's hope this is only a hic-up.

Were they in financial trouble? I thought I remember reading their shipments were way down this year but I don't recall hearing anything about them going under. Heck, National's problems were very well known in advance of them closing.

Any word on how Newmar is doing financially?

Newmar and TS are privately held companies, so we don't know the true state of affairs.

We seem to have enough members visiting the Newmar factory to receive constant reports, and there have been no reports of trouble.

TS is a much smaller company than Newmar.

National was publicly held, so their financial status was well known.

The real problem here is that they failed to communicate with their stakeholders. Maybe they thought that since they are private owned they didn't need to tell anyone outside but that's a naive view of the business. Winnebago announced layoffs and the market yawned. It's the lack of any info that causes the speculative reports reports and raises the concerns of customers and will have a long term impact on their business assuming they intend to continue in present form.

I called Travel Supreme today to inquire about a customer service issue. They answered the phones and helped me as if nothing was wrong. So it seems a portion of their operation is still going. Maybe they just stopped production for a few days for inventory to catch up with reduced demand.

Like I said - just let folks know what is going on would stop all this concern