Airstream Factory Tour

My husband and I recently saw how Airstreams (campers/caravans) are built at the factory located in Jackson Center, OH (northwest Ohio). Andrew had been meaning to visit for quite some time since he used to drive past it on his many, many, many trips up to North Bremen when he was working for a client there.

We read that the factory gives free tours every day (not sure about weekends) at 2pm and all you need to do is call ahead so they have some idea of head count.

Seeing as how factory tours are somewhat of a rarity these days – even rarer when you consider how close we were mingling with the employees, many of which were just a few feet away doing their assigned job while our tour guide explained it. We were issued with safety glasses and earplugs and told no open-toed shoes were allowed. That was the extent of health and safety precautions. Speaking of health and safety, there’s no medic on the premises, but there is an emergency phone number you can call. Andrew reckons you could probably get to the ER in Sydney in about 20 minutes.

Anyway, we all met in the waiting room of the Service Center, and were then led outside by our 50+ years (‘too long’ he said) employee, Gary Byrd. Mr. Byrd said he can remember when they were constructing the quarantine unit that would house the trio of astronauts upon their safe return from the moon. He said he didn’t quite know what they were building or why, but knew it would be historical.

Information was given about some of the models in the parking lot including the smallest one called ‘The Nest.’ The next size up is ‘Bambi.’ Airstreams are tiny house living before that became trendy.

Everyone noticed the gold Airstream parked there gleaming in the sun. Apparently that belonged to the company founder, Wally Byam. He and his wife traveled around the country in it, presumably promoting the Airstream brand.

Business is booming for Airstream (of which 5% of the market consists of overseas orders), so much so that there’s currently a six month backlog of orders to complete. Also, the company has somewhat outgrown their current premises, so they will soon be moving down the road a little ways to a much larger building expanding from 250,000 square feet on up to 750,000 square feet.

It was interesting walking around the factory seeing how each component is constructed and fitted. For instance, the aluminum sheets that cover the chassis have the window and door holes cut, but not punched out to make moving the sheets easier. It’s only when they’re ready for assembly that they remove those bits. Also, the aluminum comes with a protective cover sheet that is only removed when the vehicle is nearly complete.

I asked Andrew what was strewn all over the floor that we were constantly stepping on. Apparently they were rivets, but until they’re hammered in, they just look like the needle you place in a football or some other small object to inflate it.

Andrew and I were surprised that we were able to wander in and out of several half-completed models feeling like we were interrupting the workmen. Apparently if you order an Airstream, you’re allowed to come out and see it being constructed (not sure you can change your mind on any of the fixtures at that point though).

Probably the coolest thing was watching a chassis getting placed onto the trailer it would be bolted down to. We watched the chassis hanging up in the air slowly gliding towards us while Mr. Byrd stood protectively in front of us in case there were any mishaps. A couple workers gently guided it into position and then lowered it unto the trailer. We were most impressed.

“Airstream is all about hands-on quality, built in the USA.” - - Gary Bryd

Although none of our group currently owned an Airstream, I wonder if the factory tour sold any of them on getting one. My interest comes partly from knowing two people who owned one – my Grandma Goff and my next door neighbor from across the street (who apparently had a rare one my dad remembers). No, Andrew and I are not considering getting one, though we did wonder if they ever rent them out (only by private owners though as I know the company doesn’t). You can hire one for 'glamping' or as an Air BNB (I read about that in an issue of Air BNB magazine).

If you’re interested in hitting the road in one of these silver wonders, or are just curious about how they’re built, I can definitely recommend the factory tour. For more info, go to this link: https://www.airstream.com/company/factory-tour/

For more photos from our afternoon at Airstream, click on this link to flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/authorwannabe/