Airstream Campers Well-Insulated Against Recession — They Can’t Build ‘Em Fast Enough
JACKSON CENTER, Ohio (AP) -- The people who assemble those retro-looking Airstream campers at an Ohio factory can't build them fast enough these days to meet the demand.
The plant in the small town of Jackson Center builds 50 travel-trailers every week, all gleaming and aerodynamic and riveted together by hand.
The backlog is about three months, and ground has already been broken on a major expansion at the factory north of Dayton that eventually will increase production capacity by 50 percent.
The RV industry was dealt a blow by the Great Recession but has rebounded with gusto. Airstream has surged with three straight record years.
CEO Bob Wheeler says Airstream is benefiting from a big bubble of Baby Boomers and a new wave of desire for the classic designs of America's yesteryear.