Oliver vs. Airstream: the numbers - Page 2 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:15 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Myron Leski View Post
Wasn't Airstream bought out, acquired by some big corporation, a few years ago? You know, the kind of corporation that sees a cash cow profit opportunity and then guts the product quality to increase their margin. Olivers and Escapes are still owned by the original owners and their excellent customer service reflects that,
Wade Thompson and Peter Orthwein bought Airstream in 1980. That's how "Thor" was created. Since Airstream has been owned by Thor now for 37 years, if there are any quality issues, I doubt it has anything to do with being bought out.
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:25 AM   #22
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I sure would like to see.... Oliver vs. Bigfoot: the numbers

Steve,
"I would expect the warranty to sit in a drawer and never be needed because the trailer was built correctly to begin with. That's evidently still only a pipe dream. "

I think the recent Bigfoot interview at truckcampermagazine.com said they have never had one come back for a Manuf. defect, I'd have to read it again, going off my poor memory here. Or maybe they were just talking about the structure? 3 Year warranty though
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:28 AM   #23
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Originally Posted by Myron Leski View Post
Wasn't Airstream bought out, acquired by some big corporation, a few years ago? You know, the kind of corporation that sees a cash cow profit opportunity and then guts the product quality to increase their margin. Olivers and Escapes are still owned by the original owners and their excellent customer service reflects that,
Wrong premise. When corporations buy a business, they tend to pay a PREMIUM over FMV. To get a return on this investment, they want to GROW the business, not use it as a cash cow. Cash cow = save the cash, and don't buy another business, and certainly don't pay a premium for it. Short term thinking = stock buy backs, not buying other businesses.

To get a payback on such a purchase, larger corporations tend to focus on reducing overhead (don't need two sets of senior managers, two accounting departments, two HR teams, etc., so called synergy savings) and purchasing (negotiating better pricing from suppliers). The best also share knowledge on manufacturing expertise, sharing best practices, improving processes and quality.

Jeopardizing quality just leads to business decline and increased costs, everything from warranty claims to image and reputation. Rebuilding a reputation is very expensive!!

Sure, some purchases fail. But the winning ones work well. Think when Google bought youtube. Thats worked pretty well. There are thousands of more examples out there.

Look at the excitement right now on the Airstream NEST trailer. Had Airstream not bought NEST, would the company have survived? By being purchased by Airstream, NEST has the chance to be a really great trailer.

And another strong competitor in the molded FG trailer business is GOOD NEWS to all of us, as it pushes the entire industry to up their game.
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:35 AM   #24
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23 years ago? And before them Beatrice Foods... so despite reading myths and mis-information the product over the years has not suffered, and from what I read Airstream mechanics confirm it. Clearly, from time to time all products will have their quality issues. Old saw: never buy a car built on a Monday or a Friday.

I worked for a company that was doing so well they got bought out by Gannett, Inc., who at the time needed a cash cow to help support their new start-up, USA Today, a national newspaper that lost money big time for years when getting traction. They ripped us pretty good.
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:36 AM   #25
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Sure, some purchases fail. But the winning ones work well. Think when Google bought youtube. Thats worked pretty well. There are thousands of more examples out there.
And by any reasonable measure, the acquisition of Airstream by Thor worked out well. Airstreams are very popular today, the product line is strong (although expensive) and they've even delved into fiberglass with the purchase of Nest.
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Old 07-20-2017, 08:46 AM   #26
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Kevin loved the Oliver we saw at Algonac. I did too, but not for the purpose we had in mind. We wanted a camper we could snowbird in. While others do it in smaller campers, I wanted one that had different rooms. I was looking at 25' Bigfoots, the model that has a separate bedroom. Happily, the Silver Cloud does exactly that. I can watch TV in the bedroom while Kevin watches the Cubs in the livingroom or vice versa.

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Old 07-20-2017, 09:03 AM   #27
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Good post Cindy as it goes to prove ONE specific camper is still not a "fit-all"!

As far as Airstream being the best? That's the way I feel about it. I hate the feeling I'm walking inside a "cooler" with all the alum. I dont like the dents...and if I had to have one repaired as to a small dent in an Oliver??? Compare the costs.

Airstream is the "best" as being the most expensive TT in the world! If I'm going to buy a trailer, it WONT be for "prestige".

Most certainly, the irony that Airstream is the best; but all of a sudden they see the need to delve into the "fiberglass" world. FG is STILL the "best" in durability for the cost in my opinion- be it from Scamp to Oliver.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CindyL View Post
Kevin loved the Oliver we saw at Algonac. I did too, but not for the purpose we had in mind. We wanted a camper we could snowbird in. While others do it on smaller campers, I wanted one that had different rooms. I was looking at 25' Bigfoots, the model that has a separate bedroom. Happily, the Silver Cloud does exactly that. I can watch TV in the bedroom while Kevin watches the Cubs in the livingroom or vice versa.

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