vehicles founded 1968 headquarters middlebury indiana usa number of employees 2 000 website www.jayco.com collapsible trailer patented by lloyd jay bontrager 1967 jayco collapsible trailer 2004 model jayco inc. is a manufacturer of recreation vehicles . they make fold down also called pop up camping trailers conventional travel trailers fifth wheel travel trailers and motorhomes . it is the largest privately held manufacturer of recreational vehicles in north america and the third largest rv manufacturer in the world . about three quarters of its workforce is from the amish and mennonite communities of indiana . contents 1 history 2 philosophy 3 building materials and techniques 4 international 5 energy crisis 6 unsuccessful campers 7 jayco travel club 8 factory tour 9 purchase by thor industries 10 references 11 sources 12 external links history edit jayco is based in middlebury indiana . the company was founded in 1968 by lloyd jay bontrager . the company name is derived from his middle name at the suggestion of his wife bertha . in 2011 bontrager was inducted into the rv industry s hall of fame for being one of the most influential men in the 100 year history of rving . he played a role in the development and innovation of several types of unique lifter systems for their travel trailers . 1 2 bontrager developed a trailer fold down system in 1967 and started the business of making travel trailers in two chicken houses and a barn . in the first year of operations the company sold 132 trailers and by the end of 1968 it had 15 employees . because of the increased demand for their travel trailers in 1969 they moved out of bontrager s farm buildings to a new factory site nearby that provided more manufacturing space . the company continued to grow and in 1970 built another plant in harper kansas . 1 2 in 1970 the company built approximately 2 000 fold down travel trailers and sold them throughout the united states and canada . in 1971 they produced about 3 500 camper trailers . in 1976 jayco produced the first fifth wheel trailer with a full height stand up front bedroom . 1 the jayco company logo is a blue jay in flight . the company mascot is also a blue jay named j. jay . the company s workforce of approximately 1500 employees is about 70 percent amish and mennonite . jayco is the largest privately held manufacturer of recreational vehicles in north america and is currently the third largest rv manufacturer in the world . jayco continues to be owned and managed by members of the original bontrager family . 1 2 3 4 jayco sells about 25 000 vehicles per year going into the twenty first century . in the 42 years that jayco has been in business they have made over 600 000 vehicles . jayco sells the jay flight which was recently listed as a gold medal green certified rv the first of its kind . among other things jayco was cited for its use of sustainable materials waste reduction and recycling programs reduction of harmful volatile compounds found in rv components installation of efficient appliances and fixtures use of energy efficient design and construction and utilization of renewable clean energy . jayco products are sold through some 300 dealers in the united states and international dealers . in australia jayco is manufactured by jayco australia which is another privately founded and owned independent manufacturer which is not affiliated with the usa jayco inc. 5 camping trailer patent lloyd jay bontrager 1965 jayco camping trailer 2006 pop up model jayco camping trailer floor plan jayco camping trailer pop out bedroom philosophy edit bontrager believed in and wished to convey to his employees the concepts of a good work ethic inspiration respect trust integrity honesty fairness and a family atmosphere . just before bontrager was killed in a plane accident on easter in 1985 he wrote down his philosophy which he hoped jayco would follow . here at jayco we try to provide a pleasant christian atmosphere where we can all work together in harmony . we believe we are all god s children and as such we deserve mutual respect honor and fair treatment . this is as true for our dealers and customers as it is for those of us who work in the offices or the manufacturing plants . 1 al yoder jr. served as president of the company after bontrager s death . yoder immediately started an aggressive drive to improve quality of the products they produced . his philosophy was that all employees were to be informed of all the other phases of production even if they were not in those other departments . 1 building materials and techniques edit jayco rvs are made from a variety of materials and techniques . wafer board engineered wood are not used instead using plywood wood wall ceiling and floor stringers insulated with fiberglass ... or laminated construction with foam core insulation and aluminum frames . jayco assembly line employees include amish and mennonites from the community . they are commonly paid by the ability to produce a certain quota of rvs per day called piece rate pay . when that quota is reached they go home . small bonuses are also paid out if a batch of rvs meet the quality goals . 1 international edit jayco campers are sold in canada . 6 jayco inc. partnered with a uk based company in the late 1970s and produced a tent camper for the european market . 1 in 1975 jayco australia ltd was founded by gerry ryan oam who remains the managing director . in 1976 jayco australia developed its first camper trailers and production commenced in january 1976 . jayco of australia quickly established a reputation for producing high quality competitively priced caravan and camping products and within a few years it had become the 1 player in the australian camper caravan industry . now in its fourth decade the company with some 850 employees is a manufacturing success story of australia . 1 energy crisis edit the company was hard hit in the energy crunch of the 1970s and several of their plants were closed temporarily including their kansas and canadian plants . 1 in the late 1980s and early 1990s they also suffered another slowdown due to the high price of gasoline though not as serious as that of the 1970s . 1 in spite of this slowdown the company increased its plants and production output . they went from the fourth largest manufacturer of towable products to the second largest by 1995 1 with a workforce of 1 300 which has increased since then to about 1 500 employees . 2 unsuccessful campers edit jayco has at various times built products that turned out to be unsuccessful including a fold down style camper that opened onto a pontoon boat a four wheel camper trailer that resembled a motorhome without a cab and a fold down trailer camper version with a living area that flipped out directly onto the ground . 1 jayco travel club edit jayco developed a special travel club called jayco travel club that has yearly vacation plans . 7 8 it has over 100 chapters in the united states and canada for their customers . the chapters are called flights and often contain references to the blue jay which is jayco s logo and mascot . 9 play media video of rv assembly at jayco factory factory tour edit year round jayco conducts free factory tours with extra tours during the summer months . the tour starts at the griner house an old restored farmhouse originally built in 1880 that serves as the visitor center with a 15 minute video on the company s history and production methods . the factory tour takes about one and a half hours . 2 10 purchase by thor industries edit jayco was acquired by thor industries in july 2016 for 576 million . 11 references edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m jayco inc. company history . fundinguniverse . international directory of company histories vol . 13 . st. james press 1996 . 2016 . retrieved august 17 2016 . a b c d e jayco factory tour in middlebury in . watch it made in the usa . karen axelrod and bruce brumberg . 2016 . retrieved august 17 2016 . jayco plans 40th anniversary brown alex may 17 2016 . jayco hits milestone . inside indiana business . frankly media and grow indiana media ventures . retrieved august 17 2016 . plunkett 2010 p. 337 . happy trails . happy trails rv . 2016 . retrieved august 17 2016 . jayco travel club tour schedule about jayco travel club jayco travel club chapters jayco s middlebury factory tour ranked among america s best by leading travel guide tribune south bend . thor acquires jayco in 576 million deal . retrieved july 1 2016 . sources edit axelrod karen watch it made in the u.s.a. a visitor s guide to the best factory tours and company museums avalon travel publishing 2006 isbn 1 59880 000 0 plunkett 2010 . plunkett s automobile industry almanac . plunkett research . isbn 978 1 59392 152 1 . external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to jayco company . official website jayco factory tour 4 minutes retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title 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