Delivery time for Campers and Caravans is getting out of hand
The trade in camping vehicles such as a camper or caravan is currently struggling with long delivery times due to a severe shortage of raw materials and parts. The same applies to the automotive industry, where there was already a shortage of chips and semiconductors. Now, a magnesium shortage is also looming. A number of manufacturers explain how these shortages are affecting the production of campers and caravans.
Magnesium is crucial for producing gearboxes, brakes, seat frames, steering columns, fuel tanks, and other parts of a car. China is the main supplier with a market share of about 85% in the magnesium trade. The vast majority comes from Yulin, a city in southwestern China. Currently, there is an energy crisis there. Many factories have therefore been subjected to production restrictions. Of the fifty magnesium-producing factories, only fifteen are currently in operation. And they are also running at half capacity, in accordance with government wishes. This situation is expected to continue until at least the end of this year.
Experts previously warned that European magnesium stocks would run out by the end of November. And when the supply of magnesium stops, the industry will have little choice but to halt production. This could even happen this year. The delivery time for a new car was already two to three times longer due to a shortage of chips and semiconductors; the magnesium shortage will further increase this. This will also apply to campers, which are dependent on the supply of base vehicles such as the Fiat Ducato. What this raw material shortage means for the various camper and caravan manufacturers is made clear by the statements of the main brands.
Delivery time Erwin Hymer Group
Ron Vermeule, General Manager Hymer Netherlands: “There are so many uncertainties at the moment that we as a manufacturer are confronted with, that no good forecast for the coming year can be given. In recent times, it has become clear that the “Just-in-Time delivery principle”, so that manufacturers do not have to store anything, is not able to cope with the current problems on the world stage. We will learn from that. For example, 80 to 100 trucks with raw materials and parts arrive daily at our factory in Bad Waldsee. The goods then go directly from the truck to series production. As soon as a single delivery does not go through, production cannot continue. At the moment, the management in Germany expects that we will experience production problems due to the lack of raw materials until mid-2023.”
Delivery time Adria Benelux B.V.
Natasja Kwikkers, Adria Benelux Marketing and Sales Operations manager: “The growing demand and popularity of our caravans and campers present us with a number of challenges. In Novo Mesto, where the Adria factory in Slovenia is located, we are currently busy increasing capacity and improving the quality of our products. However, the supply is not going as we would like to see. The annoying thing is that we cannot exert any influence on this as it manifests itself worldwide. We literally have to make do with the available resources. As a result, in some cases, deliveries to end customers have been postponed. We can only hope that sufficient raw materials will be available again as soon as possible. But this setback can ensure that we remain in this difficult position for a while longer, and besides the consumer, the entire industry suffers from this.”
Delivery time Knaus Tabbert AG
Stefan Diehl, Head of Communications and PR Knaus Tabbert: “This setback in the supply of raw materials comes on top of the problems we already have in the supply of parts. There are currently about 1000 campers and caravans on the Knaus site in Jandelsbrunn, which are missing parts in one way or another. These can be roof hatches or windows, but hinges and heaters have the same problem. Don't forget that these vehicles have already been sold to the various dealers. As a result, there are customers who are eagerly awaiting the delivery of their new camping vehicle. The costs of raw materials such as wood or aluminum are also skyrocketing. As Knaus Tabbert, we are therefore continuously looking for raw materials for our production and buy whatever is available. Unfortunately, the problem is worldwide and no one can predict when and how it will be resolved.”
Delivery time Carthago Reisemobilbau
Bernd Wuschack, Managing Director Sales, Marketing and Customer Service of Carthago: “Of course, the shortage of raw materials and the unstable supply affect the production of our campers. A usual planning over several weeks has therefore become almost impossible and demands everything from the flexibility of our staff. Many incomplete camping vehicles are the result. Our customers have to wait longer and longer for these. And for our dealers, the current situation is, to put it mildly, unsatisfactory. On the one hand, the renewed way of going on holiday is experiencing a strongly growing demand. The other side shows that our dealers have nothing to show or sell. We do our utmost to counter these challenges as best as possible by continuously exchanging information with our suppliers and dealers, but in some cases, we cannot prevent not being able to execute an order.”
It is to be hoped that consumers who have a camper or caravan on order will receive this camping vehicle before the upcoming holiday. Ultimately, the purchase will appear. But it is advisable to wait until then with the sale of the current camper or caravan. The delivery time of raw materials and thus end products has a number of problems, mainly due to the Corona pandemic. Manufacturers and dealers, unfortunately, cannot change anything about this.
A used camper or caravan is of course immediately available, search and find on www.camperscaravans.nl
