Hundreds of jobs at risk as Queensland caravan manufacturer Zone RV shuts
A luxury caravan manufacturer that once boasted the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest 3D printer has shut suddenly, with hundreds of staff in limbo weeks before Christmas.
Hundreds of workers are facing the prospect of losing their jobs just weeks before Christmas after one of Queensland’s largest RV manufacturers collapsed into voluntary administration.
Zone Manufacturing Pty Ltd, the company behind Zone RV in Coolum Beach, and Zone Holdings Pty Ltd both entered voluntary administration on Monday morning according to documents lodged with ASIC.
Rahul Goyal, Catherine Conneely, and Stephen Earel of Cor Cordis were appointed as administrators on Monday, and a first creditors’ meeting was scheduled for December 10.
In a statement, Cor Cordis said it was “conducting an urgent review of Zone RV’s financial and operational position”.
“(The administrators) primary objective is to preserve value for all stakeholders, including about 250 employees, customers, and suppliers, and to determine the strategic options available for the business moving forward,” a Cor Cordis spokeswoman said.
“Zone RV will continue to trade in a substantially reduced capacity.”
“Our immediate priority is to assess all viable options that maximise outcomes for all stakeholders while exploring avenues for a sustainable future for the brand,” Mr Goyal said.
When this publication visited the site today, there was one employee moving caravans and it was impossible to access the site due to all the gates being closed.
A worker at a neighbouring business also said the site had been quiet since Monday last week.
David Biggar, listed in ASIC documents as the company’s director, started manufacturing luxury caravans in 2015, with the top line costing customers more than $260,000 according to the company’s website.
As recently as 2022 the business invested $7.5m in a new facility in the Coolum Eco Industrial Park.
It also took delivery of the “biggest 3D printer in the Southern Hemisphere” for their manufacturing plant, according to a 2022 Sunshine Coast Council press release.
Monday’s news was a shock to staff and customers, with many taking to FB groups for Zone RV owners to discuss the sudden closure.
One person who claimed to be a worker said on social media jobs were lost on Monday morning.
According to the business website, more than 250 staff worked across two facilities in the Coolum Industrial Estate.
Another man who claimed to work across the road from the RV business said on Facebook “all employees have left the premises”.
When an employee was asked about the staff leaving the premises, they did not want to comment.
Zone RV’s Facebook page was deactivated as of Monday afternoon.
Several phone calls to the business went to an answering machine after ringing out.
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Originally published as Hundreds of jobs at risk as Queensland caravan manufacturer Zone RV shuts
