Winkler, MB and the Leisure Travel Van Factory

We're in our 3rd day here in Winkler, Manitoba, the site of the Leisure Travel Van factory. We came here to have some repair work done on our aging (2007) model Serenity. Overall it has held up very well, but there were some "definitely needs fixing" and some "would like to have done" items. Since we probably won't get back this way we thought it worth the trip. Also, we have heard very good things from several people about the service that you get here.

Our rig in the shop, getting a mani-pedi RV style

The Winkler area is mostly agricultural. If you look at a satellite view of the whole North Dakota and Manitoba area it is one continuous patchwork of farms, with small communities interspersed along railroad straight two-lane roads. A surprising number of big rigs are barreling up and down these roads. Winkler itself is a small community of 10,600 settled by Russian Mennonites in the late 1800s. It continues to be a mostly Mennonite community. The strong work ethic of the Mennonites is one of the reasons for the reputation Leisure Travel Vans has for quality work, and why we came here to have that work done.

We toured the factory where all models of  Leisure Travel Vans are made. Our tour guide was Mark, an enthusiastic salesman for sure, but also very knowledgeable about the product and generally forthright in answering our questions.

Mark, our tour guide

 Several things surprised me about the manufacturing process. One is that it is almost a hand-made production. There is a production line, but it is in no way automated. It is more a matter of pushing or driving a vehicle to another part of the factory floor for whatever the next step is. It is also a relatively small production process, with only about 125 units of any type made in a year. That works out to 10-12 vehicle coming off the line in a month. They sell all that they can make, and the current wait for one is about 4-5 months. Some people buy them sight unseen, which isn't so surprising when you realize how hard they can be to find.

Note how clean the shop floors are

A Unity model in process

LTV makes two basic models, the Unity and the Serenity/Libero. We have the Serenity, based on the Mercedes chassis. The Libero is the same thing on a Chevy chassis. The Unity, also Mercedes based, is built from the inside out. That is all the cabinetry, plumbing and electrical is put in before the walls and roof are put on. The Serenity on the other hand is built outside in. It has a fibreglass shell and everything that goes into it must come through the entry door. This has a major impact on the cost of production. The Unity is cheaper to produce because you can get to everything more easily and you can put 5 or 6 people on the job at one time. In the Serenity there is limited space, so only 1 or 2 people can be inside it working at any one time. More time means it costs more money, which is reflected in the differing costs of the two models.

At the end of the tour we got to look through finished and nearly finished models. Almost made me want to trade ours in. Almost. Sometimes, though, in new and improved you lose some of the features that you love, and that would be the case here. Besides, we're still paying for this one.

Wiring harnesses being made. Each wire has a number stamped on it to aid in trouble shooting.

Many women work the floor, in varying capacities

The work force is very loyal and hardworking. Their fiberglass mold maker, a very specialized job, has been with the company for over 30 years. Yes, he is training his replacement. We asked about cross training and job rotation. It is a fairly small work force, around 300 I think. Even though absenteeism is low they do have to make allowances for family or religious needs, so they do cross train. Given the demand for product I asked why they didn't expand. Mark said they were trying to expand, but they were running into a problem with a lack of skilled labor. It seems many people are taking off to the oil country of Alberta.  There also seems to be a sense of keeping the business more family sized, in keeping with the community.

Where the walls are made. The workers were on break as we went through.

The walls begin as welded steel.

They take pride in using solid wood and plywood construction with glue and screws everywhere.

I like it here. Free electric, water and Wi-Fi. It's quiet at night, very safe, and friendly people. But it's time to hit the road again. They weren't able to get everything we wanted done, but they came close. They have a few things to finish up this morning then we'll hit the road, hopefully before noon, heading for The Badlands and The Grand Tetons beyond.