ANN ARBOR, Mich. Ð Thetford Corporation continues to invest in its recreational-vehicle and marine product lines despite growing inflationary pressures and an industry-wide slowdown in demand.
The company introduced a variety of major new products at the recent Recreational Vehicle Industry AssociationÕs (RVIA) trade show in Louisville, including a newly acquired RV Sani-Con holding-tank evacuation system; Spinflo cooking appliances developed in England; additions to its industry-leading line-up of RV care products, and an improved line of SmartTote portable waste-water holding tanks.
At the International BoatBuildersÕ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) last October, Thetford launched three new Norcold refrigerator lines, a ÒrevolutionaryÓ new manual-pumping toilet and an all-new ÒgreenÓ line-up of marine-care products under a new Thetford Marine brand name as part of an extensive two-million-dollar marine-product introduction program.
ÒStrong suppliers will continue to invest in new product development despite periodic market fluctuations,Ó said Kevin Phillips, ThetfordÕs vice president of sales and marketing. ÒWe are facing the same material, transportation and employment-related cost pressures as our customers and other marine and RV suppliers but know that our customers continue to value innovative new products.
ÒIndustry-leading suppliers work hard to maintain profit levels that enable them to invest in new products on a consistent, year-in year-out basis.Ó
Phillips noted that Thetford over the past decade has successfully offset significant inflationary pressures through aggressive internal cost-reduction programs and by working with its own suppliers to further reduce costs wherever possible.
ÒAlthough we have been forced to pass along some price increases to our customers, weÕve only done so after reducing our own costs to the lowest levels possible,Ó he said. ÒGrowing price pressure continues to be a major concern and we will respond as necessary, but we remain focused on continuing to develop and launch innovative new products.Ó
He pointed out that the marine and RV businesses are global industries in which upswings in one region often offset downturns in another.
ÒEuropean markets currently are not experiencing the same weakness that we are seeing in North America,Ó Phillips said. ÒWe view the RV and Marine markets as global markets and believe itÕs important for suppliers to continue to invest in new products in all regions in order to keep the RV and boating experience fresh and to give our OEM customers and consumers valuable options in products and product features.Ó
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