SAFETY IS NO ACCIDENT!
Published on Nov 25, 2014
Taken from The Winnebago Key November 2014:
We never take safety for granted. We don't just say we meet or exceed all Federal and industry standards -- we do all the design work, engineering, prototyping and testing to make sure we do. For this article--first in an ongoing series--we're focusing on that last step, testing.
On a cool morning not long ago, one of the first motorhomes built in the United States on the Ram ProMaster chassis fell to earth. Upside-down.
It wasn't an accident: it was part of the gauntlet of tests we inflict on our products, a gauntlet that also includes crash tests and pull tests (to measure the force required to rip a cab seat from its mounts).
We've even got a custom-built "shaker machine" that puts on the equivalent of tens of thousands of miles of wear in a few weeks.
And as outlined in the Four Simple Questions to Ask Before You Buy a Motorhome brochure, we also test components - our own as well as suppliers'. Components undergo shake tests, heat tests, cold tests, salt baths, and more. Prototypes also go for "shakedown cruises" on our purpose-built test track.
Why do we work so hard to destroy what we've worked so hard to create?
"We do everything we can to provide a better experience for our customers," said Chairman, CEO and President Randy Potts. "It's in our corporate DNA."
To our knowledge, Winnebago is the only company that tests products and components so extensively. So the next time you're asked about the difference between one of ours and one of theirs, grab a copy of the Four Questions brochure and show them how we put our motorhomes to the test.
