Quality cannot be inspected into a product, that is far too late to think about it. World class manufacturing processes start thinking about quality during the project planning stage, and its a high priority at every stage of the design stage, endeavouring to design out as many possible ways for any stage of the production to get it wrong. Its very cost effective to work this way, investing a small sum in the process at the start to reduce or eliminate opportunities for mistakes.
Its difficult to make direct comparisons between Airstream and typical UK caravan because air stream construction techniques are quite different, and in practice their products are much heavier than most caravanners could tow in the UK. But its probably those differences and the longevity of the basic design which has allowed airstream to improve their production techniques.
One of the main improvements is the way they use CNC machining to not only cut the panels, but to also cut out windows and doors. and to punch the holes for the rivets. By having designed the exact positioning for the rivets removes one of the error points of may other caravan manufacturers leave up to the operator decide where to place fixings. It's also noticeable how the vast number of rivets they use almost certainly produces a stronger body structure.
Airstreams "outside in" construction with a dedicated water leak test on the body is unique and probably also another reason why they have a reputation of longevity.
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