LCI Industries, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Lippert Components, has acquired T.J. Snuggles, Inc. (“TJ Snuggles”), a company that manufactures custom tents for expandable RV trailers, as well as cubical curtains and room dividers for hospitals.
Located in Bremen, Indiana, the company’s 24,000-square-foot facility has been providing tent and canvas solutions to the RV industry for nearly 55 years. With the addition of TJ Snuggles, Lippert acquires an array of quality canvas products, a skilled workforce and additional cut-and-sew capacity, one of Lippert’s core manufacturing capabilities, which is already 1,100 team members strong.
The acquisition is part of Lippert’s overall strategy to stay ahead of the latest RV trends and seek ways to enhance the customer experience, especially as demographics and other industry data among campers shifts with the explosion of the outdoor lifestyle.
RV expandable trailers have experienced a renaissance in recent years partly because of their affordability and partly because they are a logical next step from traditional tent camping. Expandable trailers allow the camper the basic luxuries of an RV without sacrificing the feeling of being outdoors.
The acquisition also helps Lippert vertically integrate current product lines. Earlier in 2021, Lippert unveiled its “Vela” pop-up tent for Class B vans, which has been widely adopted in Europe and by several brands in North America.
“We’re excited to expand our sewing capacity and capabilities by adding the industry expertise of TJ Snuggles. We welcome their 60 team members to the Lippert family and look forward to exponential growth ahead as our OEM partners continually add more expandable models to their lineup. Many younger, first-time RV buyers are looking for that bridge between tent camping and RVing, and the current trends in the market reflect this. This acquisition will help Lippert stay on top of these trends and allow us to innovate a better customer experience for expandable RV’s,” said Ryan Smith, group president of Lippert North America.
