RVBusiness, January/February 2019

J A N U A R Y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9 RVBusiness 101 to fill the gap in its product line when it came to inverters and inverter chargers We were really excited when Xantrex came on the market because they have the same culture we do They believe in high quality products and they believe in being responsive to the needs of their customers Moschetti said In addition they had a product range that filled some gaps that we had in some of the other markets that we serve he continued Were excited to bring their products into certain market segments like public safety vehicles that they hadnt really been in before Were excited about the strength that we have in the marine market as a combined set of businesses And were excited about their leading position in both towable and motorhome segments of the RV industry We think that all of those markets are important to us going forward And with our engineering resources our manufacturing resources and our ability to serve our customers we think this combination is going to make us stronger in all of the markets that we serve In the MCE corporate structure Xantrex becomes part of the Vehicle Power Business division which is headed up by its president Dale Tompkins The Xantrex addition will reap benefits for MCEs customers across all its markets Tompkins pointed out First Xantrex is a core business and were going to be investing in additional new product development Second we have multiple different complementary products that we have in our emergency and marine side that are going to fit nicely into the RV category as well he said mentioning those product rollouts would be under the Xantrex brand and take place over the coming several months Tompkins is also upbeat about Xantrexs foray into lithium ion battery and solar technologies Noting these innovative new solutions from Xantrex have been very well received in the RV industry Tompkins said he sees great potential for lithium ion and solar in other markets served by MCE The 10 times power to weight advantage of lithium ion over lead acid is a game changer Stout engineering and the underlying economics of this technology is opening brand new ways to excite customers through new use cases it is the revolutionary technology of our times Tompkins said Xantrex is well respected and very well respected in the RV space he continued Anything we do in a combination will come with their involvement and their leadership Were excited to have Xantrex as MCEs sixth brand And while well continue to look at other acquisitions the Xantrex brand is our first priority now Theres no doubt about that RVB Canadian towable sales gained 36 for the first 11 months of 2018 according to the latest report from Statistical Surveys Inc SSI Results by segment showed Travel trailer sales rose 48 yearover year through November Fifth wheel sales were flat up 06 for the 11 months Folding camping trailer registrations fell 89 through November Park model RV sales tumbled 286 for the first 11 months on low volume Thor Industries Inc was the overall Canadian towable sales leader through November with a 53 market share ahead of Forest River Inc 341 and Grand Design RV Co 6 On the motorized side year over year Canadian motorhome sales posted a 52 gain for the first 11 months of 2018 according to the latest report from Statistical Surveys Inc Thor Industries Inc was the Canadian motorhome sales leader during the period capturing a 445 market share followed by Forest River Inc 327 and Winnebago Industries Inc 94 RVB Dale Tompkins Canada Towable Motorized Sales Up Through November