It’s been a year since they bought the business, and, despite some early setbacks, new owners Tienie and Ronel Schietekat are firmly settled in the saddle at Vista Motorhomes. The first order of business, says Tienie, was to streamline the manufacturing operation. The learning curve was steep, and they quickly realised that increased productivity with fewer staff had to be an operational goal. Some retrenchments followed, but a more streamlined business with better management systems and skills emerged. The accountability, by all involved in the manufacturing process meant a notable improvement.
According to Tienie, now that his staff are more involved in the design process, quality control has improved and more intense checks are done on completed units prior to delivery. Although they are happy with the business, as their relatively full orderbook attests, they aren’t sitting on their laurels. ‘We want to be a leader of innovation in the motorhome industry,’ says Tienie. To ensure that they stay on top of the latest trends in manufacturing and equipment, Tienie and Ronel are taking off to Europe to look at motorhome manufacturing plants in Italy and Germany − and England, if time allows.
