Winnebago to open dedicated research and development facility

One of the USA’s best-known RV manufacturers Winnebago Industries has announced it will be opening a new Advanced Technology Innovation Center to focus on next-generation outdoor recreation technologies. The new facility, to be located in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, will focus on incubating and prototyping new technology applications across a wide range of technical and product-feature categories, including alternative energy management and autonomy. Winnebago says it will be well-equipped with leading-edge technology and sized to meet the needs of the Company’s outdoor product portfolio.

Michael Happe, president and CEO of Winnebago Industries, said: “Innovation is a cornerstone for Winnebago Industries. Our ability to excel in the market and further our industry leadership will hinge on our ability to advance the consumer experience through technology. That is why we formed the Advanced Technology Group in 2019 and why we are now making a physical investment in and deepening that commitment to innovation by establishing the Advanced Technology Innovation Center.”

The focus of the Winnebago Industries Advanced Technology Group (ATG) is to improve the company’s ability to identify, evaluate and deploy industry-changing products and services within each of its brands across four key technology areas – alternative energy management, data & connectivity, material science, and autonomy.

Winnebago’s vice president of advanced technology, Shailendra Singh, added: “Our category leading brands have always operated with a keen focus on bringing innovation to their product lines. The Advanced Technology Innovation Center will allow Winnebago Industries to partner with the business units to augment those efforts across multiple technological timelines to meet short- and long-term strategies and goals. We are committing to combining Winnebago Industries’ growing bench of research and development talent, new technology applications and a growing ecosystem of technology partners under one roof.”

Over the next five years, ATG will support the design of a new generation of RV and marine products that will drive a step change in customer experience, a golden thread of the organisation.

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