40 Under 40: Dylan Rayner
Production Control Manager; Airstream; With company: 11 Years | In industry: 11 Years
Dylan’s career at Airstream began on the production floor. Eleven years later, he’s helping manage the systems and processes behind it.
Dylan joined Airstream in 2015 as a woodshop production assembler and advanced through positions of increasing responsibility including group leader, senior group leader, production control lead, production control supervisor and, ultimately, production control manager. That progression gave him firsthand experience with the work being performed on the floor and the systems needed to support it.
One of Dylan’s most significant challenges came with Airstream’s implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365. He stepped into a newly created leadership role and helped establish a greenfield production control function for processes that never existed within the organization before.
He is responsible for developing personnel, processes and standards that manage production bills and ensure proper material consumption within the system. His efforts have established the foundation for a sustainable perpetual inventory process and improved inventory accuracy, transaction integrity and operational discipline.
Dylan’s nominator credits him with developing cross-functional teams that operate independently but can also solve problems across organizational lines. “He leads by example, develops those around him, and brings cross-functional teams together to solve complex operational challenges,” his nominator says.
The result has been a dramatic improvement in inventory control and accuracy.
Dylan’s leadership philosophy emphasizes accountability and development. He establishes clear expectations for employees while creating a culture focused on continuous improvement. That balance matters in a production environment, where stronger systems only work when the people using them understand the process and their responsibility within it.
His career trajectory also demonstrates an ability to keep learning. Moving from assembler to manager required Dylan to expand his perspective from completing production work to leading employees and eventually designing and overseeing systems affecting broader operations.
The D365 implementation put those skills to the test. New enterprise systems can change workflows throughout an organization, and production data depends on disciplined processes to remain useful. By establishing production control as a formal function, Dylan played a role in making those processes consistent and sustainable.
Away from Airstream, Dylan’s time centers on family, friends and sports. He enjoys basketball, cornhole, camping and swimming. He follows his daughter’s competitive cheer team and helps coach his son’s fifth-grade basketball team. He’s also an enthusiastic fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Miami Dolphins and Indiana Pacers.
Dylan’s rise to production control manager gives him a perspective that can be difficult to acquire any other way. He knows what Airstream’s processes look like from the production floor because that’s where his career started. Today, he’s using that experience to build systems and teams that make the entire operation stronger.
Dylan’s advice for up-and-coming leaders in the RV industry:
My advice to up-and-coming leaders is to never put a ceiling on what you believe you can accomplish. Growing up, I faced challenges that made it hard to imagine one day being in a leadership position or receiving an honor like this. Looking back, those experiences became the motivation to create a better future for myself, my wife and our two children. Stay patient, show up every day, maintain a positive attitude and put in the hard work that produces results. Take chances on opportunities that push you outside your comfort zone, even when you don’t have all the answers. Continue learning, keep striving to make things better than you found them and invest in the people around you. If you do those things consistently, there is no ceiling on what you can achieve or how far your career can take you.
What it means to Dylan to be a 40 Under 40 honoree:
Being selected as an RV PRO 40 Under 40 honoree is a tremendous honor. What makes it especially meaningful is that I am only the third person from Airstream to receive this recognition, joining Chief Operating Officer Bryan Melton and Director of Operations Chanse Walker. Having worked for Chanse for a few years, I saw firsthand the positive impact his leadership has had on Airstream and developed a great deal of respect for what he has accomplished. Being recognized alongside someone I hold in such high regard is both humbling and motivating, and it inspires me to continue growing as a leader, developing others and making a positive impact on the future of the RV industry.
