Jayco, Inc

History

Jayco is based in Middlebury, Indiana. The company was founded in 1968 by Lloyd Jay Bontrager. The company name is derived from his middle name at the suggestion of his wife, Bertha. In 2011 Bontrager was inducted into the "RV Industry's Hall Of Fame for being one of the most influential men in the 100 year history of RVing". He played a role in the development and innovation of several types of unique lifter systems for their travel trailers.

Bontrager developed a trailer fold-down system in 1967 and started the business of making travel trailers in two chicken houses and a barn. In the first year of operations the company sold 132 trailers, and by the end of 1968 it had 15 employees. Because of the increased demand for their travel trailers, in 1969 they moved out of Bontrager's farm buildings to a new factory site nearby that provided more manufacturing space. The company continued to grow and in 1970 built another plant in Harper, Kansas.

In 1970 the company built approximately 2,000 fold-down travel trailers and sold them throughout the United States and Canada. In 1971 they produced about 3,500 camper trailers. In 1976 Jayco produced the first "fifth-wheel" trailer with a full-height stand-up front bedroom. The Jayco company logo is a blue jay in flight. The company mascot is also a blue jay named "J. Jay". The company's workforce of approximately 1500 employees is about 70 percent Amish and Mennonite. Jayco is the largest privately held manufacturer of recreational vehicles in North America, and is currently the third-largest RV manufacturer in the world. Jayco continues to be owned and managed by members of the original Bontrager family.

Jayco sells about 25,000 vehicles per year going into the twenty-first century. In the 42 years that Jayco has been in business, they have made over 600,000 vehicles. Jayco sells the Jay Flight, which was recently listed as a Gold Medal Green Certified RV, the first of its kind. Among other things, Jayco was cited for its use of sustainable materials, waste reduction and recycling programs, reduction of harmful volatile compounds found in RV components, installation of efficient appliances and fixtures, use of energy-efficient design and construction, and utilization of renewable, clean energy. Jayco products are sold through some 300 dealers in the United States and international dealers. In Australia, Jayco is manufactured by Jayco Australia which is another privately founded and owned independent manufacturer, which is not affiliated with the USA Jayco Inc.

Philosophy

Bontrager believed in, and wished to convey to his employees, the concepts of a good work ethic, inspiration, respect, trust, integrity, honesty, fairness, and a family atmosphere. Just before Bontrager was killed in a plane accident on Easter in 1985, he wrote down his philosophy, which he hoped Jayco would follow.

Here at Jayco we try to provide a pleasant Christian atmosphere where we can all work together in harmony. We believe we are all God's children, and as such we deserve mutual respect, honor, and fair treatment. This is as true for our dealers and customers as it is for those of us who work in the offices or the manufacturing plants.

Al Yoder, Jr., served as president of the company after Bontrager's death. Yoder immediately started an aggressive drive to improve quality of the products they produced. His philosophy was that all employees were to be informed of all the other phases of production even if they were not in those other departments.

Building materials and techniques

Jayco RVs are made from a variety of materials and techniques. Wafer board, engineered wood are not used, instead using plywood, wood wall, ceiling and floor stringers insulated with fiberglass...or laminated construction with foam core insulation and aluminum frames. Jayco assembly line employees include Amish and Mennonites from the community. They are commonly paid by the ability to produce a certain quota of RVs per day (called "piece rate" pay). When that quota is reached, they go home. Small bonuses are also paid out if a batch of RVs meet the quality goals.

International

Jayco campers are sold in Canada. Jayco, Inc., partnered with a UK-based company in the late 1970s and produced a tent camper for the European market. In 1975 Jayco Australia Ltd was founded by Gerry Ryan, OAM, (who remains the managing director). In 1976 Jayco Australia developed its first camper trailers and production commenced in January 1976. Jayco of Australia quickly established a reputation for producing high-quality, competitively priced caravan and camping products, and within a few years it had become the #1 player in the Australian camper/caravan industry. Now in its fourth decade, the company – with some 850 employees – is a manufacturing success story of Australia.

Energy crisis

The company was hard hit in the energy crunch of the 1970s, and several of their plants were closed temporarily, including their Kansas and Canadian plants. In the late 1980s and early 1990s they also suffered another slowdown due to the high price of gasoline, though not as serious as that of the 1970s. In spite of this slowdown the company increased its plants and production output. They went from the fourth largest manufacturer of towable products to the second largest by 1995 with a workforce of 1,300, which has increased since then to about 1,500 employees.

Unsuccessful campers

Jayco has at various times built products that turned out to be unsuccessful, including a fold-down style camper that opened onto a pontoon boat, a four-wheel camper trailer that resembled a motorhome without a cab, and a fold-down trailer camper version, with a living area that flipped out directly onto the ground.

Jayco Travel Club

Jayco developed a special travel club called "Jayco Travel Club" that has yearly vacation plans. It has over 100 chapters in the United States and Canada for their customers. The chapters are called "Flights" and often contain references to the blue jay, which is Jayco's logo and mascot.

Factory tour

Year-round, Jayco conducts free factory tours, with extra tours during the summer months. The tour starts at the "Griner House," an old restored farmhouse originally built in 1880 that serves as the visitor center, with a 15-minute video on the company's history and production methods. The factory tour takes about one and a half hours.

Purchase by Thor Industries

Jayco was acquired by Thor Industries in July 2016 for $576 million.