By Josh Budd
Award winning manufacturer planning to expand
Auto-trail is set for expansion, in a move set to expand its Grimsby headquarters by almost 50 per cent.
The expansion will see 5,000 square metres added to the company’s 11,000 square metre empire, proving stark contrast to previous company woes and solidifying the company’s bounce back from 2002’s economic tumult.
The French-owned company has certainly been put to the test in recent years, with a previous economic recession forcing Auto-Trail to reduce its staff to only 99 employees, as their luxury caravanning range took a huge hit due to a dramatic fall in demand.
The Grimsby-based caravanning enthusiasts are now back on track however, with the company now enjoying a £55 million turnover, and re-employing their previously relieved workforce whilst planning to create more job opportunities for local talent.
Auto-Trail attribute their success to the rapidly increasing demand for motorhomes worldwide. Joint managing director, Stuart Turpin, commented: “Last year it was up by 22 per cent, and the year before that 18 per cent. This year is tracking ahead of last year. As an industry we are putting 10,000 motorhomes a year out.”
“This factory is peaking with production, and looking to the future it is a case of peak and then stand still, relocate or expand. We’re looking to expand here, where we have a good team and a strong operation.”
Auto-Trail are even branching out to Australia and New Zealand, where their brand has enjoyed growing popularity.
The company’s new expansion will consequently require a rethinking of how their caravan’s will be manufactured – moving towards a clinical car-assembly model to accommodate a range of 24 different vehicles, 45 different layouts, as well as to specific customer needs.
The popular caravan brand, Trigano, manufacture their caravans with Auto-Trail, and boast wide success in the UK, making 30 per cent of all UK caravan sales.
Turpin is optimistic about the future of Auto-Trail, looking forward to growing the company even further. He said: “Long term we could double capacity, but it won’t be a flick of the switch, it will be gradual. As we grow there will be jobs.
“I am extremely pleased with the growing popularity of all Trigano products within the UK. Looking forward, I, together with my team are very positive about the future. For that reason, I feel now is the right time to invest further and expand our UK production facilities in Grimsby,” Turpin continued.
The recent high demand for motorhomes isn’t the only contributing factor towards Auto-Trail’s thriving success; The Caravan Club have noticed Auto-Trail’s passion for manufacturing quality caravans, and has recently flooded their latest range with the highest praise.
It is good to see that the growing popularity in caravanning is having such a positive impact on the industry, helping create jobs and, more importantly, more caravans!
