Skyline - Competitors

Skyline Competition

Now Viewing Skyline's competition in: Recreational Vehicle Manufacture

Recent Developments

RV Shipments Decline - RV shipments fell 22.7 percent in the first eight months of 2008 compared to the same period in 2007, according to the University of Michigan. A variety of issues are affecting sales, including tough credit markets, higher interest rates, low income growth, and declining consumer confidence. These factors are expected to continue to pressure RV demand in 2009. Although some improvement in shipments is expected in mid-2009, overall shipments are anticipated to decline 5 percent compared to 2008.

RV Workers to Receive Retraining Grants - Indiana, which has a high concentration of RV manufacturing activity, will receive a total of $13.4 million in retraining grants from the Department of Labor to aid workers who've lost jobs in the troubled RV industry. Some 6,000 RV workers in Indiana filed for unemployment benefits between mid-July and mid-August 2008. Eligible workers may receive as much as $6,000 to use toward earning an associates degree or other specialized certification for working in other industries.

Fuel Prices Decrease - Amid lower worldwide demand, oil prices began dropping in late 2008 after reaching near-record highs over the summer. Between July and October 2008, gas prices fell more than 30 percent, but rose 26 percent in October 2008 compared to October 2007. During the July to October period, on-highway diesel prices also dropped about 30 percent. A sustained drop in oil prices may encourage consumers who'd postponed buying an RV due to high gas prices to buy one.

Competitive Landscape

Demand is driven by consumer income and demographics, as RV buyers are mainly older. The profitability of individual companies depends on the ability to design desirable products. Large companies have economies of scale in production and distribution. Small companies can compete successfully by concentrating in a special product line or by building components. The industry is fairly capital-intensive: average annual revenue per worker is close to $200,000.

Full Industry Overview For Recreational Vehicle Manufacture

Recreational Vehicle Manufacture Industry Forecast

from Hoover's/D&B subsidiary First Research

The output of US travel trailers, camper, and motor home manufacturing is forecast to grow at an annual compounded rate of 4.3 percent between 2008 and 2013.

Motor Home, Trailer, and Camper Production Growth Levels

First Research forecasts are based on INFORUM forecasts that are licensed from the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. (IERF) in College Park, MD. INFORUM's "interindustry-macro" approach to modeling the economy captures the links between industries and the aggregate economy.