“It’s amazing to think about 10,000 boxes going down this line,” he told RV PRO. “This fifth wheel will be a part of our 10,000^th unit edition, which we are going to unveil at our (Elkhart County) Open House event.”

The new fifth wheel edition will debut from noon to 6 p.m. on Sept. 17 during the first day of Open Range RV’s Open House event at the Norco Building at 2600 Jeanwood Drive in Elkhart, Ind. The manufacturer’s Open House will continue from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, Sept. 18-20.

Graber said the production volume at Open Range RV is up 12 percent this year through July and retail sales have increased about 11 percent through the same time period.

“The economy is a little better than it was last year and lending is a little better,” he said. “Also, we’ve improved the quality of our product, and we have more innovative floorplans out there that are retailing well.”

Meanwhile, Open Range RV hopes to construct a new manufacturing facility next year in an adjacent plot of land it owns to the north of its current location in Shipshewana.

“We’re not quite sure what the square footage will be, but probably around 100,000 square feet,” Graber said.

The Town of Shipshewana recently approved a 10-year tax abatement request from Open Range RV relating to a planned 15,000-square-foot addition to its customer service center located just east of its main campus, according to the LaGrange County Economic Development Corp. The expansion project will result in the addition of 10-15 new employees.

On its march toward producing the next 10,000 Open Range RV units, Graber said the company must remain focused on improvement.

“We’ve got to be doing something right: longevity and taking care of the customer. But, we’re not perfect,” he said. “We stand behind our product and strive every day to make the product better, be innovative, and stay ahead of the competition with innovative ideas.”