The Explorer Group – Manufacturing
The Explorer Group is a manufacturer of touring caravans and motorhomes, based in Consett, Co. Durham, UK. The company employs 380 people and has a turnover of £57 million.
The company was formed in 1998, bringing together three leading brands of caravan and motorhome manufacturers: Elddis, Compass and Buccaneer. The Explorer Group currently builds 4,000 caravans and 1,200 motorhomes every year and is now one of the UK’s leading manufacturers.
The Constantine Group acquired Elddis Caravans in 1994, at the time one of more than 20 manufacturers in the UK. Since then, the market has consolidated to 7 UK manufacturers and, recognising this trend, Constantine Group supported the Elddis management as one of the acquirers, adding Compass in 1997 and Buccaneer in 2000. Re-named The Explorer Group, the three businesses moved factories and were consolidated in a new manufacturing site in 1999.
In 2001, the whole caravan industry suffered severely when the outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth disease closed most UK campsites for a whole season. Constantine Group supported the company through this difficult period and since then, a revitalised management team at Explorer has worked with Constantine to make the company a market-leading manufacturing operation in its processes and plant by investing in continuous improvement year after year.
Manufacturing is a complex business with no “quick fixes” and the long-term investment strategy of the Constantine Group is well-suited to providing the management team at The Explorer Group with the continued support and investment that this sector requires.
