PhoeniX motorhomes come from a family-run company and are a brand that does not view ‘100% Made in Germany’ as a marketing slogan, but rather understands this historically verifiable concept in all its seriousness as a company philosophy and production quality, and not only understands it, but also lives it deeply

Words Peter Hirtschulz, photo Detlev Bues / Phoenix

below: from left Barbara, Johannes, Oliver, and Julia Schell

Against this backdrop, it is remarkable, or perhaps understandable, that PhoeniX motorhomes, as a family business, is able to hold its own against the ever-increasing centralisation of corporate groups. What’s more, with its enormous innovative strength and a production method that is virtually unique in the industry, it can look back on an extremely successful history.
Aboutcamp BtoB had the opportunity to talk to the Schell family. It consists of senior manager Barbara Schell, her husband and senior manager Johannes and son Oliver Schell, who is now the majority shareholder in an orderly family hierarchy. They talked about the history of the company, its products and production, and its in-house innovative strength.

Aboutcamp BtoB – Mrs Schell, ‘Ladies First’, how did the Schell family come to the decision to start their own motorhome production business?
Barbara Schell – The original idea and the actual initiator of the fact that there are currently three motorhome manufacturers in Schlüsselfeld is my husband Johannes. He is a trained master carpenter who learned and developed motorhome construction from the ground up. Originally he started at Tabbert in Aschbach and then moved to Concorde. There he held the responsible position as production manager. But after 20 years at Concorde, in 1997 he reached a point where he decided to stay true to himself. For him, that meant quality over quantity, or rather, not building motorhomes in series, i.e. ‘ en masse’, but producing individual, customised vehicles with sophisticated functionality, innovative technology and the best quality. And he has the best prerequisites for this: my husband is a gifted technician and a persistent tinkerer. He has a gift for developing technical solutions in his head that others cannot even recognise from a drawing.

Aboutcamp BtoB – How do you see your role in the family business Schell Fahrzeugbau?
Barbara Schell – Honestly, with devoted respect, I am called the heart and soul of the company. I keep the finances in order and ensure that everyone works together harmoniously within the company. I strive to cultivate a family spirit for the success of the business. It is incredibly important to me to treat employees, dealers, customers and suppliers with equal honesty, loyalty and kindness. Only when this structure is in harmony can you be successful in the long term. For many years, we have also been happy to share our economic success in the form of donations to institutions that support charitable and cultural causes, as well as those in need. As patron of the caravanning industry, I have had the honour of presenting a donation cheque to the “Elterninitiative Kinderkrebsklinik Düsseldorf e.V.”. I am very grateful and happy that we have already been able to hand over €750,000.00 in support of children fighting with cancer.

Aboutcamp BtoB – What does the family business look like today?
Barbara Schell – We currently have a core team of 80 employees, 15% of whom have been with us since the company was founded in 1997. Many have been with us for 15 years or more. Unlike many other companies in the industry, we employ very few temporary workers. The majority of our employees have been trained by us or have been with us for many years. We are a close-knit community: one for all and all for one. This also applies to our trading partners. We maintain an extremely cooperative relationship with them. We are close to the action when changes arise, can react quickly without a large hierarchy and, together with our partners, can quickly find a good solution to any problems that arise.
This also means that we do not sell directly from our factory. We are responsible to our trading partners and attach great importance to treating each other fairly. This philosophy also applies to our suppliers and our customers. The latter reward this approach with long-standing loyalty. We have customers who have already purchased more than five motorhomes from us. As part of a successful, positive relationship with our trading partners, we conduct training courses several times a year, on request also on site at the trading partner’s premises.This type of communicative and informative cooperation is important to us.

below: PhoeniX factory in Aschbach

Aboutcamp BtoB – What makes PhoeniX motorhomes stand out?
Oliver Schell – Let’s start with the production technology. We are unique because we build our motorhomes from the outside in. Almost all other motorhome manufacturers take the opposite approach. This means that the decisive difference lies in the construction of the cabin. First, we manufacture a self-supporting cabin that guarantees a particularly high level of stability. Only then is the furniture installed – and it is free-standing. This means that every part, even functional components such as refrigerators, can be replaced at any time. We set the highest standards in technology, workmanship and safety. All PhoeniX motorhomes stand for sophisticated technology, ingenious functionality and the best possible quality for exceptional durability.

Aboutcamp BtoB – What are the special and durable quality features of a PhoeniX motorhome?
Oliver Schell – It starts with the chassis. We only use chassis from our partners Iveco and MAN. We work closely with the manufacturer on the cab, i.e. the floor, side and roof parts. Their high-quality wall parts have insulation values equivalent to brick walls with a thickness of 190 centimetres. This enables us to achieve a safe and compact exterior construction that cannot be found in any series production. Only after this solid shell has been manufactured do we install the necessary technical wiring and accessories, just like in house construction. Our highly skilled carpenters then assemble the custom-made furniture. We take advantage of the front frame construction with aluminium profiles, which gives our furniture exceptional strength.
Johannes Schell – I would like to add that I don’t just set high standards for myself. The same applies to our employees. And I am proud that our team not only consists of long-standing staff, but that everyone also brings with them the highest level of technical expertise and a special passion for motorhome construction. Our team’s wealth of experience now spans generations. The focus is on the craftsmanship of our highly trained journeymen and master craftsmen. We only use automation where it makes sense and is possible. Oliver and I personally lead an initiative in our company that trains employees for the new industry job profile of ‘caravan and motorhome technician’ and ensures that we at PhoeniX can offer and fill a high number of qualified apprenticeships.

Aboutcamp BtoB – PhoeniX does not work to mass-produce motorhomes…
Johannes Schell – That’s correct. That was the reason behind my decision to start my own business. Every PhoeniX motorhome that leaves our factory premises is unique in the world. Individuality is one of the keys to our success. Our slogan for a (successful) future is ‘PhoeniX Individual’. Starting with the Maxi series, customers can realise their personal ideas. Whether it’s a longer bed for particularly tall customers or special designs in the bathroom or kitchen – all wishes are flexibly implemented. We have a tailor-made model for every customer: from our MIDI entry-level series to the exclusive TopX Liner with a car garage in the rear. A special feature of PhoeniX is that even with the MIDI, our entry-level model, the same high quality is guaranteed as with our top models.
Oliver Schell – Speaking of individuality. We have developed a central marketing tool for this purpose. With our PhoeniX configurator, customers can design their dream vehicle at home in advance, exactly according to their ideas. With a generated configuration code, they then go to the retail partner, who discusses all their wishes and options with them. For better visualisation and presentation, we then create drawings for the customer. We also offer numerous 3D images that customers can conveniently view on screen in 360-degree format. The whole process is also supported by virtual reality glasses, which allow customers to experience the vehicle ‘lifelike’ from the inside, even at the planning stage.

Aboutcamp BtoB – What are the top sellers in your portfolio?
Johannes Schell – PhoeniX has always been synonymous with alcove motorhomes with longitudinal single beds and rear round seating areas. These account for over 50 per cent of our layouts. At the same time, however, we are currently seeing increasing demand for our liner models. That is why we developed our new Maxi-Liner 9000 AY this year – with a car garage and a gross vehicle weight of less than 7.49 tonnes! The demand is considerable.

Aboutcamp BtoB – How do you live up to the slogan ‘100% Made in Germany’?
Oliver Schell – We live up to this philosophy 100 per cent. All the components we need for our motorhome construction are sourced from German manufacturers. Only in rare exceptional cases, if the required material is not available in Germany, do we resort to European suppliers. Made in Germany also refers to our development work, which is carried out under my father’s leadership with a competent team. Here, too, the utmost care is taken. The innovations we develop ‘Made in Germany’ are only installed once they have been thoroughly tested and proven to be truly functional and efficient – in keeping with the original, historically renowned quality slogan.

Aboutcamp BtoB – How do you assess the current market situation?
Barbara Schell – Fortunately, we are not affected by the general market downturn. Since we only produce to order, we are also not affected by overproduction. Our customers are also not influenced by the general mood. Many of them eagerly await their new PhoeniX for years in order to fulfil their individual dreams. In addition, there are numerous new customers who are convinced by our quality and the possibilities for individualisation. I am a little proud because our production is fully booked until August 2026. A PhoeniX motorhome is something special. This is also reflected in the high resale value and the comparatively low number of used PhoeniX motorhomes on the market.

Aboutcamp BtoB – Speaking of the market, what is your current market coverage and dealer network like?
Barbara Schell – Our main market is Germany. Here we have very experienced, friendly trading partners who know our products inside out. This is crucial, as our (prospective) customers often have very specific requirements, which our dealers are able to competently take on board and implement. Provided we have PhoeniX expertise, we could certainly use some support in North Rhine-Westphalia and the Stuttgart area. Internationally, we are represented in Belgium, Switzerland, Czechia and Spain. Support in Scandinavia, the British Isles and Austria would be an asset.

below: The Schell family in conversation with journalist Peter Hirtschulz during the interview