Winnebago Industries To Close Charles City Plant, Impacting 36 Workers

Winnebago Industries is set to close its Charles City plant, affecting 36 workers, as announced on Iowa’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) site. The closure is scheduled for September 1.

The plant being shut down spans 56,000 square feet and is the smaller of two Winnebago facilities in Charles City where the Solis and Roam camper vans are produced. Production of these camper vans will be relocated to the Lake Mills plant, which will now take on the manufacturing of several key Winnebago brands, including Revel, Travato, Solis, and Roam. This transition is part of Winnebago’s strategy to streamline operations, according to a statement from Winnebago spokesperson Daniel Sullivan.

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Sullivan assured that the company is committed to helping affected employees find new roles at the Lake Mills facility where possible and providing support during this transition period in line with Winnebago’s core values.

What will happen with the facility?

Meanwhile, Tim Fox from the Charles City Area Development Corporation confirmed that the 204,000-square-foot manufacturing plant built between 2002 and 2003 will remain operational. Although Winnebago has not yet revealed any plans for the future use of the now-vacant building, local officials have had preliminary discussions with the company. Sullivan declined to comment on these potential plans.

Winnebago Industries, a leading recreational vehicle manufacturer, operates facilities in Forest City, Lake Mills, and Charles City and employs around 7,200 people across Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, and Florida, as noted on its LinkedIn page. The company moved its corporate headquarters from Forest City to Eden Prairie, Minnesota, in 2021 but continues to maintain the majority of its RV manufacturing operations in northern Iowa, employing approximately 2,000 people in the region.