Riverside Firm To Make RVs For China
RIVERSIDE (CBS) — A Riverside-based recreational vehicle manufacturer will produce thousands of RVs for export to China under an agreement scheduled to be signed Saturday.
MVP RV has been tapped by Winston Global Energy, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, to turn out 30,000 class A and class C mobile homes over the next three to four years, according to company officials.
"We are delighted to make this announcement, which will have such a positive effect on California's Inland Empire and beyond by reinvigorating the industry and creating new market opportunities with innovative products and superior customer service that have global appeal," said MVP RV Chief Executive Officer Brad Williams.
"Over the next 12 months, we will be hiring approximately 1,300 employees needed to build products for Chinese consumers who have a growing interest in RV travel and camping."
Winston Global Energy, owned by Winston Chung, plans a $310 million capital injection into MVP RV for the motorhome venture. There are also plans for a joint development with Winston Battery Limited, a subsidiary, to make all-electric RVs.
Williams estimated the value of the exports will be approximately $5 billion.
He said the company has purchased a 500,000-square-foot facility on a 23-acre parcel for manufacturing operations.
The class A vehicles are bus-sized, while the class Cs are van-sized.
A contract signing ceremony between Winston and MVP RV is scheduled tomorrow in Chicago, during a trade event hosted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
In August 2008, with the onset of the recession and orders plummeting, MVP RV shuttered an assembly plant in Moreno Valley, laying off dozens of employees.
A year later, the company formed a partnership with Seoul, South Korea-based CT&T United to begin making electric cars at a facility near the March Air Reserve Base. Production has yet to rev up, however.
The Winston deal was among more than two-dozen highlighted by the White House as China Premier Hu Jintao concludes his first state visit to the U.S. since 2006.
"This agreement illustrates the potential of the Chinese RV market for U.S. manufacturers and suppliers," said Recreational Vehicle Industry Association President Richard Coon.
"It creates jobs here in America to build state-of-the-art RVs that will be exported to China to meet the growing demand for U.S.-manufactured RV products."
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