Area Development
Thor Industries, Inc. plans an expansion of production capacity at its Thor Motor Coach subsidiary with the purchase of a 128,000-square-foot production facility on approximately 18 acres located in Bristol, Indiana.

The main production plant was built in 1977 and contains 107,000 square feet of production space as well as 6,200 square feet of office space. In addition, the property includes a 15,000 square foot building that was constructed in 2001, which will be used for metal fabrication. Thor Motor Coach anticipates initial production to begin in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016.

"This is a very exciting time of growth for Thor Motor Coach and we expect this new facility to help us continue our momentum in Class C motorhomes," said Jeff Kime, Thor Motor Coach President.

"This new facility is located within a few miles of our main Elkhart production complex and will provide us the opportunity to establish a dedicated production line for our new upscale Quantum Class C motorhome line following the strong initial response from dealers and consumers since its introduction this past fall. Producing this innovative new line in a dedicated facility will free up additional capacity on our Elkhart campus to increase production of our other Class C motorhome lines,” he added.

Thor President/CEO Bob Martin added, "We continue to see a shift in the market from higher-end Class A motorhomes to smaller Class A gas and Class C motorhomes that has been a trend for some time. Thor Motor Coach introduced the largest number of new motorhomes in the company's history at our annual Open House last September, with a focus on the highest volume areas of the market. With strong demand from dealers and consumers for Thor Motor Coach's Class C brands in particular, we have an immediate need for the additional production capacity. This existing facility met the requirements in terms of physical features, proximity to existing facilities, as well as the ability to take possession and transition production quickly."