Thursday, June 26, 2008
WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON AT WEEKEND WARRIOR?
Bob Ashley
RV Business
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Weekend Warrior Trailers Inc. has shut down its Perris, Calif., manufacturing facility for two weeks and will reopen July 7, according to President Mark Warmoth.
Aware of a flurry of rumors that have circulated lately throughout the RV industry, Warmoth acknowledged the company has been “wounded” by the downturn in the economy, particularly in Southern California.
“We are still finishing units and we are shipping yard units,” Warmoth said. “The world is still getting our trailers.”
The shutdown is the second since May for Weekend Warrior, a leading manufacturer of towable sport utility RVs (SURVs). Warmoth in May reorganized the company after losing several key managers and consolidating four factories into two.
“It was a major restructuring, but I put it back together,” he told RVBusiness. “I pulled the trigger and pushed the change button. I'm trying to get this fixed.”
Bottom line, Warmoth maintained, rumors of the company's demise are false, although he said Weekend Warrior is dealing with “cash flow” problems and “10 years of major growth that developed bad habits.”
“I'm in full control,” he said. “I'm still here, wounded. There's cash all over the place, but it's not liquid. I absolutely can open on July 7, but I don't want to open without the cash.”
In 2007, Weekend Warrior was second in towable SURV sales with 21.2% of the market, according to Statistical Survey Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich., behind only the combined units of Thor Industries Inc., Jackson Center, Ohio.
RV Business
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Weekend Warrior Trailers Inc. has shut down its Perris, Calif., manufacturing facility for two weeks and will reopen July 7, according to President Mark Warmoth.
Aware of a flurry of rumors that have circulated lately throughout the RV industry, Warmoth acknowledged the company has been “wounded” by the downturn in the economy, particularly in Southern California.
“We are still finishing units and we are shipping yard units,” Warmoth said. “The world is still getting our trailers.”
The shutdown is the second since May for Weekend Warrior, a leading manufacturer of towable sport utility RVs (SURVs). Warmoth in May reorganized the company after losing several key managers and consolidating four factories into two.
“It was a major restructuring, but I put it back together,” he told RVBusiness. “I pulled the trigger and pushed the change button. I'm trying to get this fixed.”
Bottom line, Warmoth maintained, rumors of the company's demise are false, although he said Weekend Warrior is dealing with “cash flow” problems and “10 years of major growth that developed bad habits.”
“I'm in full control,” he said. “I'm still here, wounded. There's cash all over the place, but it's not liquid. I absolutely can open on July 7, but I don't want to open without the cash.”
In 2007, Weekend Warrior was second in towable SURV sales with 21.2% of the market, according to Statistical Survey Inc., Grand Rapids, Mich., behind only the combined units of Thor Industries Inc., Jackson Center, Ohio.
