Forest River Inc. has expanded its manufacturing process improvement (MPI) initiatives with the construction of a new advanced water management Rain Bay facility in Goshen, Indiana. The project reflects the company’s ongoing investment in long-term product quality, customer satisfaction, structured testing and team development across all divisions, Forest River said in a recent release.
Located adjacent to the Sabre Complex, the 2,200-square-foot facility features Forest River’s second Rain Bay, underscoring the company’s continued commitment to manufacturing excellence and operational advancement.
Over the past several years, the company has strengthened its MPI initiatives with an increased emphasis on water management. Key efforts have included expanding knowledge and best practices related to sealants, components, long-term durability and slideout sealing systems, reinforcing Forest River’s sustained focus on innovation and industry leadership.
Building on those efforts, the state-of-the-art facility is now complete and equipped with advanced features intended to educate teams and support root-cause analysis of water-related concerns across the industry. It will serve as a centralized resource for validation, innovation and plant-level learning, playing a key role in shaping how Forest River designs, builds and continuously improves its products.
Designed to simulate real-world conditions, the system allows teams to observe how water interacts with RV structures and identify opportunities for improvement before units reach customers.
Testing capabilities will include 73 total rain heads — 56 fixed rainbirds and 17 portable spray heads — along with mobile road spray carts that simulate undercarriage and wheel well exposure. Additional features include quick dump valves for efficiency and increased water volume testing, seal technology to assist in diagnosing water and air intrusion, and a soft wash system that disengages as units exit the facility.
Together, these capabilities create a controlled, repeatable environment designed to strengthen product validation across multiple unit types. The Rain Bay will support testing of service units, prototype units and selected production units, and insights gained through the process will help inform manufacturing practices and product design across Forest River’s RV divisions.
“The MPI Rain Bay reinforces our commitment to building better products,” said Ira Mullet, manufacturing process improvement manager. “This investment allows our teams to better understand real-world water exposure and apply those learnings directly back into our plants. Education and innovation remain central to how we improve our products for our customers.”
To prepare for full operations, the facility underwent a structured pilot phase. During this period, select units were tested as teams refined inspection procedures and validated operational processes. The pilot phase has since been completed, with full operational launch underway.
While water management remains an industry-wide focus, Forest River said it has implemented additional structure around centralized testing and education to further strengthen product durability and long-term customer confidence. As a result, the MPI Rain Bay is expected to serve as a long-term resource for process refinement across the organization.
