Thor Motor Coach Expanding Again

Thor relocated its headquarters to Elkhart County in 2013.

A subsidiary of Elkhart-based Thor Industries Inc. (NYSE: THO) is expanding in Elkhart County. Financial details were not immediately released, however Thor Motor Coach says the expansions in Elkhart, Wakarusa and Bristol will result in 400 new jobs.

Jeff Kime, president of Thor Motor Coach, says the expansions are necessary to meet strong customer demand and improve delivery times to dealers. The effort will add more than 500,000 square feet of space across the three locations.

Thor Motor Coach has purchased a building in Wakarusa that will be used for Class C motorhome production and a new lamination operation, which will support motorhome production at multiple facilities. An addition is also underway at the company’s Class A motorhome plant in Elkhart, which will allow for the addition of a second production line in the future.

The company is also working to complete an addition to a Class C campus in Bristol, which it says will support its Quantum motorhome line. The addition complements the company’s March 2016 purchase a 128,000 square-foot production facility in Bristol.

"We want to make sure we solidify our relationships and this begins with providing our dealers with our popular motorhomes in a more timely fashion," said Dana Simon, vice president of sales for Thor Motor Coach. "The expansion plans we have in place will allow us to continue our rapid sales growth into future years."

The expansions will bring the total amount of manufacturing space across the company’s five Elkhart County campuses to 2.3 million square feet. Thor Motor Coach says it plans to begin production at the additions late this summer and continue through the rest of the year. 

Hiring has begun for the jobs created by the expansions. The company will hold a job fair July 27 at the Thor Motor Coach plant in Elkhart for those interested in applying.