75 Morty goes home

Canada
Québec & New Brunswick
Nova Scotia & Newfoundland
Québec & Ontario
Manitoba to the Pacific

60 Ferry to Québec
61 Back in Québec
62 Drive to Tadoussac
63 Tadoussac
64 On to Québec
65 Québec
66 Québec
67 On to Ottawa
68 Ottawa
69 Ottawa
70 Ottawa
71 On to Niagara
72 The falls
73 Canadian wine
74 Behind the falls
75 Morty goes home
76 On to Toronto
77 CN Tower
78 ROM
79 Stocks, tower and dance
80 Toronto Saturday
81 Off to Florida
82 Coping with Wilma
83 SeaWorld
84 Back to Canada
85 Casa Loma and shoes
86 Killarney
87 To Sault Ste. Marie
88 Goulais River
89 To Thunder Bay
90 Thunder Bay

Canada: Ontario

Monday 17 October 2005

Stef woke this morning with signs that he had picked up my cold. We had a bit of a catch up morning and a late breakfast while deciding what we wanted to do with the day. When we booked into the site last night, the lady at reception had asked Stef if we had gone to the plant. We were not sure which plant she meant but it turns out that Home and Park, the company that made Mortimer, have their plant in Kitchener about forty kilometres away. Unlike most RV makers, they offer tours around the plant to the public.

Stef phoned to check what time the tours were running and we had to hot foot it to get there in time…or so we thought. Having rushed around to leave the site to be there in time for a one o’clock tour we were told that the guide would not be there until one thirty. A bit frustrating but we filled the time while we waited watching their company video for sales people in RV dealerships.

The video/training was presented by the current chairman who is the son of the Dutchman who originally founded the company. The father wanted a mobile home that was manageable and easy to drive. He bought a Chevrolet van and took it to Home and Park who made the modifications he wanted. He was so impressed with what they had done that he bought the company and they went into general production.

At the Mortimer factory

Their Roadtrek is the best selling class B motor home in Canada and the US. Knowing this we had expected high production volumes but they only turn out about thirty five a week, under two thousand a year. It takes about one hundred and forty hours to complete each van. They start with a basic van from GM (and now also from Dodge). They are delivered with two seats in the front and nothing else. Home and Park take out the seats so they do not get damaged along the way and replace the fuel with one big enough to get the van round the plant. They then set to work.

For most models, they cut holes in the side panels for the windows and take off the roof, replacing it with a glass fibre higher roof. For their 210 model, most of the body is replaced with a glass fibre body which is wider. To check for leaks the vans are left under high pressure hoses for a couple of hours before any of the internal fittings are added. Next step is to put in the framework for the plumbing and electrical systems. All of the appliances are pre-fitted into their housings and are ready to be easily hooked up to the framework.

In the factory they make all of the cupboards, storage space and furniture. They upholster everything themselves at this site. They buy in component parts for the galley, washroom and entertainment systems and simply hook them up. To ensure a tight fit, the cupboards are lifted in and secured into place before the roof goes back on. They have two main versions of their vans, a popular and versatile model (the latter having a more flexible use of interior space) but also do special orders for people if required.

The company itself seems like a good place to work and they have low staff turn over. The work environment on the factory floor is very clean and safe and they are proud to have hit another milestone of over three years with no workplace based accidents. The showroom models they keep in the factory are available to staff to use for holidays during the summer if they want to. They are also active supporters of local community projects. The tour guide we had today seems to be representative of all of the guides. He is well past retirement and shares the tours with three others on a rota basis. He had to be called out of his wood working hobby classes to come and show us around.

While we were there we took the opportunity to ask about a couple of bits and pieces on the van we were not sure of. They confirmed that the person who had had it before us had made changes to the sewer outlets and that the reason it was so difficult to empty the tanks was because they had not lined them up properly. They told us what we needed to do to fix it, a relatively quick job if you have the right tools and are good at DIY. For us it’s a “no” on both counts so they recommended another company just up the road who could do the work for us this afternoon.

There we were met by an expat Brit. He came out to Canada, via Australia, over thirty years ago. Originally from Hampshire we brought him up to date on some of the recent changes that have been made to his old neck of the woods such as the M25 and the Queen Elizabeth Bridge at Dartford. He seemed to enjoy the reminiscing but has definitely adjusted to the Canadian way of life and I doubt he will ever move back to the UK.

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