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edgray · 06-29-2007, 05:15 PM

BREAKING NEWS
Western RV and Pilgrim Agree to Merger
RV Business

In a surprise development to most in the industry, Monomoy Capital Partners L.P. has agreed to merge Western Recreational Vehicles Inc. (Western RV), a manufacturer of high-end recreational vehicles based in Yakima, Wash., with Pilgrim International Inc., a mainstream towable manufacturer in Middlebury, Ind.

The transaction is expected to close in July.

edgray · 06-29-2007, 05:15 PM

BREAKING NEWS
Western RV and Pilgrim Agree to Merger
RV Business

In a surprise development to most in the industry, Monomoy Capital Partners L.P. has agreed to merge Western Recreational Vehicles Inc. (Western RV), a manufacturer of high-end recreational vehicles based in Yakima, Wash., with Pilgrim International Inc., a mainstream towable manufacturer in Middlebury, Ind.

The transaction is expected to close in July.

Rick M · 07-02-2007, 10:15 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by edgray:
BREAKING NEWS
Western RV and Pilgrim Agree to Merger
RV Business

In a surprise development to most in the industry, Monomoy Capital Partners L.P. has agreed to merge Western Recreational Vehicles Inc. (Western RV), a manufacturer of high-end recreational vehicles based in Yakima, Wash., with Pilgrim International Inc., a mainstream towable manufacturer in Middlebury, Ind.

The transaction is expected to close in July. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Ed.

Surprise = No kidding!

A more complete story:
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.j...02005195&newsLang=en

It sounds like there will be stronger management - although remote.
It makes one wonder if Alpine will still be produced, if Alpine doesn't become cost effective?

Rick

Jim & Ingrid McIntosh · 07-05-2007, 07:13 AM

Anyone know if there will be company representatives at the Newport ACA pre-rally to discuss this and its impact on current coach owners?

dgerstel · 07-05-2007, 07:34 AM

Rick,

While I was at the factory picking up my new coach I had a few conversations with Richard Fish. Everything I heard about from him and saw going on there left me feeling very positive with respect to where WRV and Alpine is going. I think he said he would be at Redmond, the pre-rally or both but am not positive.

Dale

Rick M · 07-05-2007, 07:55 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dgerstel:
Rick,

While I was at the factory picking up my new coach I had a few conversations with Richard Fish. Everything I heard about from him and saw going on there left me feeling very positive with respect to where WRV and Alpine is going. I think he said he would be at Redmond, the pre-rally or both but am not positive.

Dale </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Dale

I hope Richard Fish (or someone like him) will stay and oversee production and be sure that employees are doing a quality job thus almost eliminating need for trips to factory.
Although you seemed to enjoy your 5 weeks at the factory.

Rick

dgerstel · 07-05-2007, 02:46 PM

Rick,

Right.

Dale

gjstacy · 07-06-2007, 12:18 PM

Jim & Ingrid,

We are having a Focus Group meeting at the Newport pre-rally...Ron Doyle and Burk Morgan always attend those meetings, and it is my understanding that Richard Fish will join us as well. I know Burk will be there for sure, and would be surprised if Ron and Richard are not there.

I agree with Dale's comments about WRV and Alpine, as we were there not so long before him...tho not for 5 weeks. Dale must like them more than we do!

Jim & Ingrid McIntosh · 07-06-2007, 04:55 PM

Gail & John,

We, too, are thinking positively and will be at the factory this coming Monday for service and a dishwasher upgrade. Speaking of service, a thought for the focus group...since Pilgrim is located in Indiana, it would be nice if plans for an Alpine factory service center in Indiana were in the works or could get on someone's lsit of things to do. It would be very helpful for those of us who are centered in the East.

Jim & Ingrid
40' FDTS 2005

DrDaveMA · 07-06-2007, 06:49 PM

Does anyone have a current Org chart for WRV, or at least a list showing who is doing what?

gjstacy · 07-11-2007, 01:41 PM

Jim & Ingrid, thanks for the suggestion...I will definitely bring that up in our meeting next month.

Dave, I did get an org chart after the Monomoy acquisition, but only for the very top level of management. Other than losing Mike Glazier, I don't think there are any changes. The other key players are: Richard Fish, Monomoy Operating Partner; Ron Doyle, President; Greg Knoebel, EVP & CFO; Burk Morgan, VP Sales & Marketing; Dave Frampton, VP Mfg & Engineering; Phil Mattoon, Customer Svc Mgr; Dave Kamppi, Asst Cust Svc Mgr; Max Zackula, Customer Svc Center Mgr. In addition, there are 3 individuals responsible for regional sales: Rick Barna (SE), Daniel "Pancho" Fulton (W), and Darren Williams (NE). Hope this helps!

WeBrzn2 · 07-12-2007, 02:14 PM

It is too bad that they do not have anyone in the capacity of Quality Manager on the org chart. In my business (Aerospace) there is a quality (Product Assurance to be precise) manager or director at the direct staff level with an independant reporting structure directly to the president or CEO.

Prior to Mike Glazier' leaving, he asked me several times if I would be interested in consulting for WRV. I wish I had had the time to do it! I firmly believe that in at least asking, WRV recognizes the benefit of a good Product Assurance program to both their customer base and their bottom line. Mabe I will have the chance at some later juncture, between a friend of mine who owns an Alpenlite and I, we are certain that improvements could be made that would both increase customer satisfaction as well as improve the proffit picture.

rmmpe · 07-13-2007, 01:14 AM

I, too, have had no little experience in Manufacturing and QA. WRV appears to need some help in both and I am in a position to do just that, if it were asked of me.

That aside, I am impressed with what they've done and their first offerings. As the owner of an older Coach, it is obvious to me they did their homework before launching themselves on this venture.

What is less than excellent is an apparent lack of a regimented QA structure and attendant processes. In addition to the Aerospace industry, they could take somes hints from the systems employed by the Automotive companies.

All have reporting channels entirely seperate from Manufacturing to avoid conflicts of interest.

OldForester · 07-13-2007, 06:52 PM

I can't resist getting into this discussion. I too, have had a fair amount of experience in quality management in manufacturing. I also have a fair amount of experience in organizational design.

I disagree that you need a separate Quality Management Department. That's another shared responsibility, and in my experience shared responsibilities end in no responsibility.

I believe that quality needs to be owned by the employees who make the coach, and realize their jobs and their future reside with making the highest quality coach they can make with every step they take, while not being ridiculous with the cost they take to do it, and that management understands that they will take actions to make the quality right first time, and not over-react when they re-do something because they didn't do it right the first time.

You can't have checkers checking on checkers. You have to rely on those who make the cuts on the product, turn the screws, and install the product to know they have done it right, not take shortcuts, and speak up when there's an issue. And you have to manage the quality of the suppliers to you. But that doesn't need a total separte quality department that acts like General Patton.

You need purchasing people who hold the quality standards and reject rates on suppliers, and have your manufacturing people and your replacement rate show the rate on your suppliers quality.

Quality needs to be owned by the employees making the product and the suppliers supplying it for both of their futures, and not a separate group of auditors. I have turned around more than one major division of a major Fortune 500 company doing this and not had the overhead of another Quality Department, that somebody making airplanes maybe can afford but somebody the size of WRV can't.

So if I were leading this effort, I'd focus on getting the ownership of the employees in it, and have managment of manufacturing with input from marketing and sales get it done. And I wouldn't need another costly layer of overhead getting in the way to get it done.