Thule RV Business Unit to Focus on Recreational Vehicle Channel

Thule Inc. today announced the formal creation of a business unit dedicated to its SMART RV (Space Management and Recreational Travel) system and RV accessories. The announcement follows a year of surveying the RV market and developing its new SMART RV system that it launched at the National RV Trade Show in Louisville, KY early this month.

“The RV market is ripe for product innovation, and we are very pleased with the responses we received from dealers and our partners to our technology at the show,” said Chris Dannewitz, VP of Business Development at Thule Inc. “We see a great opportunity for the Thule brand in this channel and anticipate that more RV manufacturers will be adopting the SMART System in the coming months.”

“Thule’s SMART System was another great point of differentiation for our RVs, and our dealers responded with overwhelming enthusiasm about the program and with strong orders for our RVs with the system.” said Brent Stevens, General Manager of Dutchmen’s Ultra-Lite Division. “Thule is a fantastic partner for us, as they bring brand strength, product innovation, and strong marketing support.”

Thule has dedicated engineering, sales, and marketing resources to the business unit including Kevin Bogoslofski, Lead Product Engineer, Scott Krause, Product Manager, and Joe Settelmayer, Sr. Project Engineer. Brent Wagner, who has a strong background in the RV industry, will join Thule on January 1, 2007 as Project Engineer for the unit.
The patented Thule SMART system uses technology from the company’s industry leading rack systems to quickly and easily mount and remove accessories from the exterior of an RV, expanding its utility and outdoor living area. For information on Thule SMART RV and its products visit www.thulerv.com.
Thule Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary within the Thule Group. It is the leading US manufacturer of car rack products, with production sites in Seymour, Connecticut and Chicago, Illinois. Thule’s product line features multi-purpose roof racks, roof top boxes, rear mount racks, and accessories for outdoor equipment including bikes, skis, snowboards, kayaks, canoes, and surfboards. For more information visit www.thule.com.
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