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Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: Nick Badame Refrig/ACC on July 14, 2009, 07:54:40 AM

Title: Dometic fire update
Post by: Nick Badame Refrig/ACC on July 14, 2009, 07:54:40 AM
As of today,

Dometic has absolutly no tooling left to produce Basement A/C's and Basement Heat Pumps.

The best they can tell me is they will re evaluate at the end of this year.

Nobody realizes how much tooling they lost in Mexico. Just about the only thing they are producing is Roof top Duotherms in Virginia.

The Virginia plant was primarly manufactoring Tundra truck equipment and Marine Air systems but is now overwhelmed with RV equipment.

I hope Dometic RV can recover from this because it's getting pretty diffucult to satisfy my customers....

Nick-
Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: gumpy on July 14, 2009, 08:03:24 AM
I don't know where the plant was located in Mexico, but I can't help wondering if the fire would have been so devastating if they had been located in America where we have quality fire equipment and firefighters and building codes which would have required sprinklers.

Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: Nick Badame Refrig/ACC on July 14, 2009, 08:14:11 AM
Craig,

Your absolutly right! Poor building codes, no sprinklers, almost no fire dept., all for cheap labor... I hate to say it but, serves them right!

Nick-
Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: belfert on July 14, 2009, 08:26:13 AM
With the downturn in RV manufacturiing wouldn't you think there would be a lot of product in the channel?
Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: luvrbus on July 14, 2009, 08:30:04 AM
Nick, isn't Dometic a French owned company to start with.     

good luck
Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: Airbag on July 14, 2009, 09:33:26 AM
Nick
You did alright by me. Even if the first one did have soot on it. They work great once my mistakes were corrected.  ;) The second one arrived before their projected delivery date. I did not know they had so many eggs in the Mexican basket. A lesson learned I hope.
Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: loosenut on July 14, 2009, 09:39:02 AM
I think Dometic is a Swedish company.  They are into a lot of markets worldwide.  I'm having a brain fahrt but it seems they are or used to be part of Electrolux which is a Swedish company.  I believe they have manufacturing in Europe, USA, China and obviously Mexico.

Hope this helps with the outrage.

Mike
Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: Jeremy on July 14, 2009, 09:42:32 AM
They're Swedish according to their website. The website also states "Our products are sold in almost 100 countries and are produced mainly in wholly owned production facilities around the world" Quite where that leaves responsibility for conditions in individual plants I'm not sure

Jeremy
Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: Nick Badame Refrig/ACC on July 14, 2009, 02:55:16 PM
Ya, Day R Sweeeeeedish!  :D

Nik
Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: RickB on July 14, 2009, 03:03:21 PM
Nick,
You sound like my mother in law......oh ubetcha den.
Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: RJ on July 14, 2009, 05:30:03 PM
Nick -

Dometic isn't the only player in the Basement HVAC game, is it?

Or are they the only one who are "reasonably priced"?

;)
Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: Nick Badame Refrig/ACC on July 14, 2009, 05:42:47 PM
Hi RJ,

Dometic is the only one with the single 15,000 btu basement unit and the duel 28,000 btu unit in either straight air or HP.

Coleman has only a duel basement system rated at 26,000 btu's. I'm not a fan of the colemans because of parts issues.

It's just that the Dometic's systems are very reliable and the comfort control center can operate many systems at once.

In the past, if a Dometic unit was bad, it was bad in the box and they have always replaced the entire unit when problems existed...

Plus, nobody has come close to their 3 year parts and labor warranty as of yet.

Nick-

PS, I can build the basement units myself in my shop, and very easily.. Problem is, the end cost would be far higher then Dometics! :(
Title: Re: Dometic fire update
Post by: NJT5047 on July 14, 2009, 09:53:28 PM
Considering the multiple business failures in the RV industry, you reckon Dometic may have burned the plant?   Probably not....
Popular way out these days. 
We've lost two large RV dealers recently (they didn't burn down..just closed their doors)...There's only one RV dealer left on the East/South side of Charlotte.   
I've sure been pleased with my Dometic fridge and rooftop heatpumps.   
We've spent almost a month in the bus since early May.  The front AC is getting a workout.  8 years old.
Good luck on finding product Nick!   That's a PITA when you got business and cannot deliver product.  Bummer.   

JR