Airstream's sales rose 20 percent to 30 percent in those boom years, but Huttle expects a 20 percent to 25 percent drop in sales when this fiscal year ends in June. Airstream has been owned by Thor Industries, a New York holding company, since 1980. Thor, which also owns RV makers that sell under several labels including Dutchmen, Four Winds, Komfort, Skamper, Citation, Tahoe, Wanderer and Aerolite, posted a string of earnings and sales increases in the past several years before seeing a sharp drop for the last two quarters. Last year, as the slowdown began, Airstream laid off more than 100 workers, dropping its Jackson Center staff to 400 from 525. Each year, they turn out 1,400 to 2,000 Airstreams from this small, low-slung factory nestled among Ohio cornfields.
Workers rivet distinctive aluminum sheets onto a frame one by one, the way a plane is made.
They place the insulation in, sheet by sheet. Fixtures carry brand names including Maytag, Moen, Sony and others. The workmanship and materials come at a cost. Airstreams are expensive. Airstream faces far more competition among motorized RVs, many of which cost much less.