Doctoral Dissertations

Man-ik Hwang

Date of Award

6-1982

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Geography

Major Professor

T. H. Schmudde

Committee Members

Sidney R. Jumper, Thomas L. Bell, John B. Rehder, John R. Moore

Abstract

This is a study of the evolving pattern and the changing structure of the mobile home industry in the United States between 1960 and 1980. It focuses on the influence of the emerging large multi-plant firms on the present distribution of the industry. During the years 1960 to 1972, the industry grew and spread rapidly; since 1973 it has declined. The period of growth set the national and regional patterns of production plants, whereas the period of decline produced major changes in the structure of the industry. Large numbers of plants opened during the period of expansion, particularly plants belonging to single-plant firms. The period of decline resulted by 1980 in massive loss of single-plant firms and an industry more and more dominated by multi-plant firms, as measured by both number of plants and units of production.

The mobile home industry has experienced increased ratios of economic concentration during the period of decline. Such concentration is associated with the emerging dominance of multi-plant firms. They have a competitive advantage over single-plant firms through their absolute size, wide geographical reach to markets, and command of financial resources needed to survive the intense competition of a shrinking market. There are, however, successful single-plant firms. Some of these firms are vertically integrated into the market through owned sales outlets, giving them more secure access to a regional market; others have specialized products or an established reputation and thereby exploit a niche in the market.

A pattern of geographic concentration of mobile home manufacturing plants developed during the growth period of the industry, in many cases related to entrepreneurial spin-off. The nodes of concentration have persisted and the ratios of concentration increased over the 1973-1980 period.

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