Black and onyx-colored fabric is cut and fitted to complete Dometic power awnings in Elkhart, Indiana.
The supplier is returning 9100 series power awnings manufacturing to the Elkhart community after operations moved to Mexico in 2020.
Dometic Segment Land Vehicle Americas President Todd Seyfert said, “Elkhart, Indiana, has always been the heart of our RV appliance business. Dometic has always been committed to being a part of the industry, and this move shows that increased dedication to our customers, our employees and the community.”
The Industrial Parkway facility in Elkhart will serve OEM customers. The Mexico facility will serve aftermarket customers.
Dometic Brand Manager, RV Sara Dover said, “This will allow us to increase product capacity overall, which means we aim to have more flexibility and reliability in terms of shipping and stock levels.”
Dometic Awning Product Manager Paul Hill said the facility will be at a full production rate by mid-June.
The supplier is taking steps to ensure punctual delivery and product quality. Dover said returning manufacturing to Elkhart would eliminate shipping issues, lengthy wait times and production line interruptions.
To achieve this, the supplier is optimizing the total awning SKUs and implementing fleet trucks for OEM awning deliveries.
(L to R) Dometic’s Steve Ciesiolka, Dometic Segment Land Vehicle Americas President Todd Seyfert, Solar Edge’s Marco Barfucci.
“When you have all those people in one place, it gives you much more control over this process,” Dover said, “and the process becomes much more streamlined.”
Hill said all engineers are in-house and can oversee the manufacturing process.
“We can make design changes much quicker and easier,” Hill said, “and we can incorporate customer feedback directly much quicker.”
Dometic has made the 9100 power awning series since 2006. Awnings were originally manufactured in the supplier’s LaGrange facility.
The OE awnings are available in lengths ranging from eight to 20 feet. As Dometic re-establishes its presence back in Elkhart, the supplier plans to stock every awning brand at the location.
While 15 employees currently work at the facility, Dometic will add more employees as OE awning demand increases. When Dometic closed its LaGrange operations in 2020, the supplier eliminated nearly 200 jobs.
Seyfert said, “The return of awning production and these added measures allow Dometic to ensure delivery performance to our trusted OEM, RV dealer and distributor partners. We are happy to add one more manufacturing location closer to our customers in Indiana.”
