On a 200-acre campus in Iowa,
Winnebago runs the world's largest RV factory.
Here, Winnebago uses an assembly-line floor
the size of eight football fields
and its own sawmill to handcraft the motorhomes
that have made it a household name
for over 60 years.
While Winnebago makes up to 70%
of the products inside its RVs,
the company outsources its powertrains and chassis.
Once these parts reach their assembly lines,
each RV's steel subfloor is lined up,
lowered into place,
and welded onto the chassis.
It will serve as the foundation of the motorhome.
Up front, the vehicle's steel cab is lowered on.
It has a windshield attached with a nonhardening sealant,
like you'd find on a car.
This gives drivers extra protection
that other RV builders who use fiberglass cabs
and rubber gaskets for their windshields
can't offer.
In the metal-stamping building,
lasers cut sheet metal and tubing
for the steel parts of the motorhome.
Once certified metal workers
have cut and pressed what they need,
the pieces are placed on racks
for the electrocoating process.
Electrocoating involves bathing the parts
before putting them in a tank
that electronically charges their surface
to attract paint film particles.
They are then baked in an oven
at 400 degrees for an hour.
Electrocoating protects the parts against corrosion,
extending their life for customers.
This $7 million setup allows Winnebago
to coat up to 15,000 parts daily.
At another facility, aluminum parts
for sidewall structures and screen doors
are made using steel dies.
These are cookie-cutter-like frames
that aluminum cylinders, heated to 950 degrees,
are shaped with.
The dies are each uniquely crafted,
and Winnebago uses 130 different shapes.
Just like its metals process,
Winnebago has a separate building for making
plastic components like shower stalls,
dashboards, and bumpers.
In a process called thermoforming,
1-inch-thick plastic sheets are heated
to a malleable temperature,
then vacuum-sealed over a mold.
Once they cool and parts can be cut,
the extra scraps are ground up
and repurposed for playgrounds.
More complex plastic parts,
like water tanks and wheel wells,
are made using rotocasting.
Plastic beads similar to those in a beanbag
are ground up and put in molds,
then heated to a liquid state
while the tool is turned in all directions.
As the liquid cools,
it coats the inner mold and forms a sealed shape.
All wood products, like cabinets and doors,
found in Winnebago RVs are made here,
at the sawmill.
Computer-controlled cutting machines
cut pinewood to specific lengths
and slice laminate for trim into various shapes.
Parts like cabinets are then glued,
stapled, and screwed together
before being hooked on a conveyor belt
that takes them directly
into the assembly-line facility.
Winnebago makes all of its own furniture,
from seats to mattresses.
In the Stitchcraft building,
the foam for cushions
is put on Winnebago's suction machine,
causing it to shrink down to one-fourth its normal size.
Cushion covers can easily be put on,
then the air is let back in.
This technology along with real human stitchers,
who undergo six months of training,
allow Winnebago to build about 40 seats
and 20 sofas daily.
For soft goods like rubber steps and vinyl flooring,
Winnebago has a water-jet machine
that cuts parts using nothing but pressurized water.
Using 55,000 pounds of pressure,
it requires only 2 to 3 gallons of water per day,
compared to the average carwash,
which requires 9 to 15 per car.
Finally, there's the motor home itself.
Like any home, it requires a durable roof and walls.
Winnebago uses multilayered walls
with high-density foam and glossy fiberglass.
These layers, along with the interior finish,
are pressed together with pressurized rollers
and a strong adhesive.
For structural strength,
a cutting machine creates room
to sandwich metal framework within the walls.
A computer-controlled router then cuts holes
for windows and doors
and channels for electronic wiring.
The fiberglass roof is a 60-millimeter-thick
one-piece system that helps to eliminate potential leaks.
Fiberglass is rot-, fire-, and rust-resistant.
It can last as long as 40 years.
Back at the assembly line
where the chassis has been prepped,
everything comes together.
Wire looms for electronics are installed,
and the RV's battery, generator,
propane tank, and water tanks are put in place.
A plywood floor is lowered, glued,
and screwed into place on top of the steel subfloor.
A sticky layer of vinyl flooring is then rolled on top.
Wood furniture and appliances
are lowered into the RV
while the sidewalls are put up around it.
As the roof is placed on top,
it relies on Winnebago's interlocking joint system
to attach it to the sidewall.
Everywhere the roof meets the wall,
two precise pieces of metal trim
lock together like puzzle pieces
to give the cab's structure extra strength.
Once all furniture and appliances are fixed in place,
along with doors, windows, and a glossy paint job,
final inspections are made.
The vehicle even undergoes several stress tests,
like being blasted with 250 spray heads
that deliver the equivalent
of 50 inches of rainfall per hour.
If it survives this,
it's ready to join the millions of Winnebago RVs
already on the road today.