German motorhome, campervan and caravan manufacturer, Hymer, is building its own chassis production hall at its main production facility in Bad Waldsee, Germany.

It says the move to build its own chassis will mean it now is represented in every part of the creation chain, but the centralised production will also enable it to respond more flexibly to the current market situation and the needs of its customers in future. In plain language it means Hymer will be manufacturing almost everything itself, except the cab, engine and associated mechanical components like gearboxes.

“By building its own chassis production hall, Hymer will be able to supply leisure vehicles that come from a single source — with the exception of the drive unit — for the very first time,” it said. The 3,100 square-metre chassis production hall is due to be completed in the summer, and series production is planned to start in 2021.

In addition to the new production facility, there are also plans for the assembly of motorhomes, campervans and the its Eriba touring caravans to be consolidated, which, it says, will help it to “further synchronise and standardise its processes, as well as further consolidate its warehouses and factories”.

To begin with, Hymer will use the production facility to produce the SLC chassis with five different wheelbases – starting with the short versions from 3.9m through to the tag-axle chassis for the new B-Class Masterline I 890. The company is also working on automated solutions such as gluing robot that will be able to meet the exacting requirements in terms of process speed and safety.

In addition to chassis production, the company has also confirmed its campervans will now be manufactured on a new line in the central production hall. It says relocating the production of campervans to the new assembly line, which is roughly 125m long, will enable it to respond more flexibly to the market and further increase efficiency. Compared to the former production method, the campervans no longer stand one behind the other, but next to one another, rotated by 90 degrees. The improves the ergonomics and increases worker safety, it said.

“We are proud that we are now the first bodywork manufacturer to be actively investing in chassis production, enabling us to take an exciting step into the future. The re-structuring of our factories is also a hugely important step for us, because it enables us to work in an even better, quicker but also simpler way. For us, the construction of the SLC factory is a clear commitment to our roots and our company's home town, as well as yet another milestone in the optimisation of production at the Bad Waldsee site," says Christian Bauer, President of Hymer GmbH & Co.

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