Lippert Components, Inc., based in Elkhart, announced yesterday that it has organized a team dedicated specifically to the motorized RV market and has named Marty McManus Director of Sales and Craig Kreil head of Engineering and R&D over that team.

“Motorhome manufacturers have always had distinct design, engineering and production requirements,” explained McManus. “To better meet these unique needs we have expanded not only our sales team, but our operations and technical support groups as well. We’re also dedicating facility space and introducing more product offerings specific to the demands of the motorized market.”

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, McManus has more than 23 years of engineering and sales management experience in the RV industry, 11 of those with LCI. With more than 20 RV-related patents in his portfolio, McManus works closely with the Motorized Engineering and R&D group to bring customers excellent motorhome product solutions, and he leads LCI’s Motorized RV Sales team.

The sales team includes Al Snyder, who has more than 36 years of RV manufacturing and sales experience, and Don Wilkinson, who has more than 12 years sales experience and joined the team when LCI acquired the Power Gear and Kwikee brands in June 2014. The Motorized RV Sales team is backed by a technical support team led by Shad Pfifer, who has more than 26 years of motorhome industry and design experience, and includes Tom Paterson, Shawn Clark, Mike Peirce and Roger Peachey.

LCI added many motorhome product professionals in customer service, sales, manufacturing and engineering, when it acquired the Power Gear and Kwikee brands, including Kreil who now leads LCI’s Motorized Engineering and Research & Development group. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Kreil has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and holds several RV-related patents. Kreil’s engineering experience includes nearly 20 years with Power Gear and three years with Parker Hannifin.

Kreil’s team focuses on developing motorhome-specific products, including leveling and slide-out systems, entry steps, TV and bed lift systems and other custom product designs. LCI’s electronics division, Innovative Design Solutions, is working to customize the myRV universal control and monitoring system to control motorhome-specific operations. LCI has also expanded its motorized RV product offerings by working with the Italian component manufacturer Project 2000 to distribute innovative EuroLoft bed lift systems, power steps and TV brackets in the North American RV market.

To support the design and manufacture of new motorized RV products, Lippert Interiors is expanding its motorhome seating and bed product manufacturing capacity, and LCI will dedicate its M-Tec Specialty Frames facility in Elkhart to motorhome chassis stretching, bridge construction and parts fabrication.

“While previously we had a mixture of towable frame production and motorized chassis modification in the same facility, we are in the process of allocating the whole campus to motorhomes,” says Josh Roan, LCI Vice President of Operations. “We are committed to providing our motorized RV customers the best solutions through every stage of the process.”