Truma gathered friends, partners and local leaders Thursday at its North American headquarters in Elkhart, Indiana, to celebrate 10 years of North American business.
The German-based company hosted local and national representatives as well as its parent company’s co-CEOs, Alexander Wottrich and Marcel Janssen, to mark the occasion.
Truma North America President and CEO Gerhard Hundsberger said: “It makes me very humbled to see all these people here from the industry, and those premium manufacturers using our systems and working with us as partners. We have built friendships even beyond those partnerships. It is a really great milestone.”
The open house celebrating the milestone, conducted at the end of Elkhart Extravaganza week, featured representatives from the offices of U.S. Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.). State Rep. Joanna King (R-49), Elkhart city councilman Arvis Dawson and members of the county convention and visitor’s bureau and economic development corporation also were in attendance.
Hundsberger said the company’s impact across the industry and community in the past decade has left a mark he has not fully realized yet.
“We have made it to the 10 years and we have been growing each year,” he said. “We continue to build great partnerships with local manufacturers, as well as manufacturers in Canada and further away from Elkhart. It has been great.”
In a presentation to attendees, Hundsberger said executives believed there was room for a quality RV supplier when they made the decision to bring Truma products to North America. Yet, he said they did not simply jump into the market.
“We found that, indeed, there was space for a quality supplier in the appliance area,” he said. “At that time, we frequently heard that no matter if an end-user owned a $25,000 travel trailer or a $500,000 motorhome, the appliances were all the same.”
Although Truma products typically were more expensive than competitors, Hundsberger said the company learned that many RV manufacturers were dedicated to quality over price.
“OEMs, like those here today, are willing to invest in better systems to keep customers happy and brand loyal,” he said. “We are proud of the partnerships we have developed with OEMS throughout the industry.”
Among the Truma employees recognized during the presentation was Chief Operating Officer Mark Howlett, who has been at Hundsberger’s side the past decade as Truma North America’s operations grew.
Howlett said he was a little choked up as he reflected on the past decade and saw the company’s partners celebrating the anniversary.
“We have 70 people on the team now, and seeing the partners who helped us get started and helped us to grow as an organization is a lot,” he said. “I am still hopeful this is not the end for us. We want to continue to grow, but it is fantastic to celebrate with all the fantastic people here from different areas.”
Howlett said OEMs’ patience and willingness to work with Truma to provide the best products has been a boost. He recalled a conversation with Nick Recchio, the general manager of Type B motorhomes at Coachmen RV, who told Howlett he knew Truma would take its time creating a product and bringing it to market, because the product would be done right.
“That is a great reassurance for us, that we are doing the right things,” Howlett said. “We do not rush into things. It is important that we have the foundational things in place but we are ready to grow in future years.”
Hundsberger teased some future products Truma will bring to market. The Truma Saphir is an under-the-bench air conditioning system with heating capability. Hundsberger said Saphir removes roof-mounted air conditioners and eliminates large wall cutouts. He said Saphir would be released in early 2024.
Truma will release a new Truma Combi version to address requests for one fuel source and off-grid capabilities with the company’s heating and cooling system. Finally, Truma’s sister company, Alde, will release a new hydronic heat and continuous hot water system called the Alde 3030 early in 2024.
“I think my team articulates that we are not just here to supply parts. We want to be end to end, having a service team and building that service team,” Howlett said. “We want to grow the entire company together. Let’s grow together as a partner and make sure that we are right for each other.”
