Belfield Home & Leisure - Soft Furnishings

Thetford BV - Cassette toilets and refrigerators

Our final visit on the Behind the Scenes Live Tour was to Thetford BV who are located in Etten-Leur in the Netherlands.  Thetford’s European HQ is here at Etten-Leur in the Netherlands and the main business is toilets, but they also make fridges for leisure vehicles all over the world. We met with Product Manager at Thetford BV, Pascal Kuijten.

AL-KO Kober GMBH - Caravan & motorhome chassis plus accessories

We continue the European leg of our tour with a visit to AL-KO who are located in Kötz, Bavaria in Germany. AL-KO supply Bailey with all of our caravan chassis and most of our motorhome chassis. AL-KO is a giant not only in the leisure vehicle industry, but also in commercial trailers. In Kötz, they have capacity to produce over 2,500 axles a day and more recently, the company has diversify to other related products like air suspension, levelling systems for caravans and trailers or security devices like the AL-KO wheel locks you see in some of our ranges. We met with Michael Nebel, Vice President of Caravan Sales , who gave us an inside of AL-KO headquarters in Germany.

Truma - Heating systems, gas regulators, solar panels plus accessories

On Day 1 - Week 2 of our Behind the Scenes tour, we visited Truma in the German state of Bavaria. Truma are experts in heating systems, motor movers and air conditioning units. Well known for their heating systems, for the past few years, Truma has also expanded their business to motorhomes and caravan accessories. During this visit, Simon and Lee met with Head of Intercompany Management, Angela Von Schenk and Director of Supply Chain, Norbert Kreitmeir who gave us an insight of what goes on at Truma headquarters in Putzbrunn.

Belfield Home & Leisure - Soft Furnishings

The final supplier visit for the first week of our Behind the Scenes Live Tour 2022 was Belfield Home & Leisure in Derbyshire, who make most soft furnishing sets in Bailey caravans and motorhomes. Belfield products are one of the most familiar products in a caravan or motorhome because if you’re not sitting on them you’re sleeping on them.  A lot goes on at Belfield, with the group not only making soft furnishings for caravans and motorhomes but also items like sofas and curtains for high street brands.  In this podcast, Simon and Lee speak to John, Commercial Director at Belfield Home & Leisure, and got an insight of their site at Ilkeston that specialises in soft furnishing for the leisure vehicle industry.

Thetford UK - Kitchen appliances (ovens and hobs)

On the third day of our Behind the Scenes Tour, we visited Thetford UK in South Yorkshire. Thetford supply all Bailey caravans and motorhomes ovens and cookers. Having your own cooking facilities on the road has to be one of the greatest advantages of caravanning. From the complexity of a Sunday roast to the simplicity of grilled cheese on toast. All comes courtesy of Thetford, who have supplied Bailey caravans and motorhomes ovens and cookers for as long as we can remember. In this visit, Simon and Lee talk to Paul Martin, Account Manager for Thetford UK, and get to know Thetford’s huge site in Rotherham, where they make up to 2,000 ovens a week, plus most of their components from scratch at their factory.