Building an Entegra Coach

Following the Construction of a 2016 Cornerstone from Start to Finish
Article Date: January, 2016

Article and Photography by Mark Quasius

Exterior Finishing

Now that the basic build of the coach is complete it's time to dress up the outside.

The first step is to park the coach over the undercoating pit. At this point undercoating will be sprayed on the undercarriage to seal it off and prevent any rust or corrosion. Everything that needs to stay clean from the undercoating is masked off to prevent overspray.

The next step is to take the coach to the paint shop. The coach is fitted with temporary mirrors, tail lights and headlights so that it can be driven to Entegra's paint facility. Once there the coach is thoroughly cleaned and any areas that should not receive paint are masked off.

The paint is applied in layers with the finest detail colors sprayed first. These colors are then masked off and the next layer applied until all of the colors are complete. Once all of the color coats have been applied a razor blade is painstakingly used to remove any ridges between colors. Entegra uses Sikkens paint, which is of the highest caliber.

The polyurethane clear coat provides a durable finish and high gloss. Entegra sprays three coats of clear on a Cornerstone. The coach is then cut and buffed to eliminate any orange peel or artifacts from the paint. Then another two coats of clear are added for a total of five coats. The end result is a depth of shine that is unparalleled in the industry. Finally, the coach is buffed and polished to achieve a smooth-as-glass finish that shows off the beautiful paint scheme beneath it.

Once finished, the coach is returned from the paint facility to the main plant. It is then scheduled to enter the Final Fit and Finish area.

Final Fit and Finish begins with the installation of the awnings. The awnings are prepped and raised with a hoist and carried to a scaffold area and installed on the coach. The coach then proceeds to other bays where the temporary mirrors are replaced and the various lighting and accessories are installed.

Final Fit and Finish installs every last item and sends the coach over to Quality Control for a final inspection. Any defects are noted and sent back to be corrected before the coach is allowed to ship. The QC department is autonomous and does not report to production so there is no pressure to ship until everything is just right.

As a last step the coach is driven onto a state of the art Hunter alignment rack where all six wheels are checked for proper alignment and adjusted as needed.

Finally, the coach is shipped to the dealer and I made the trip to National Indoor RV Center to pick it up and this is what I was greeted with when I walked in the front door.

Final Observations

I've spent the first three weeks of the coach build at Entegra. I've gotten to know many of the workers there and spent time with them eating lunch, conversing with them and watching them work. I have to say that the idea of total quality control is prevalent at Entegra. It's not just a philosophy handed down from management. Each and every worker really wants to do the best they can and I've observed many instances of a production line worker discovering an area that could use improvement and within minutes the engineering and production management teams were there checking it out and making immediate improvements. Their work ethic is reflected in the quality of the work.

Quality Control is another area that was impressive. QC isn't something that is just done when the coach is finished. Constant inspections are made as the coach travels down the assembly line. Any component shortages or issues with components that are not performing as designed are noted on a traveler sheet that accompanies the coach. Every task that is performed is signed off as completed by each worker and any issues are noted. The final inspection is intensive and thorough and nothing is allowed to ship until every last item is as it should be. The end result is a coach that is ready for a dealer PDI with minimal effort.

For more details on how the finished coach performs be sure to view my review at This Link.

Sources

Entegra Coach
(800) 517-9137
www.entegracoach.com

National Indoor RV Centers
(469) 277-1330
www.nirvc.com

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