Pilgrim Media Kit - Press Release

Pilgrim CosmoLite Composite Eradicates Rotting Floors to Lower Dealer Warranty Issues and Extend the Life of Pilgrim Products for Consumers

Middlebury, Ind. — Pilgrim International, Inc. of Middlebury, Indiana, is pleased to announce it has begun to eliminate Luan and wood used in floor substrates of selected 2008 models by introducing the revolutionary new CosmoLite composite one-piece, structural flooring. The new CosmoLite flooring is impervious to water and provides superior strength and durability when compared to wood. Pilgrim’s new seamless CosmoLite substrate flooring will be standard equipment immediately on all Pilgrim International Cirrus and Pilgrim 1500 Lite Series trailers for 2008. This is the first move towards the full integration of composite flooring across all Pilgrim product lines.

CosmoLite is a completely waterproof composite that will never rot, yet is lighter weight than conventional plywood or Luan. Pilgrim’s new CosmoLite non-woven, seamless fiberglass and polypropylene composite floors are also more environmentally friendly. Along with depleting zero natural resources, it is recyclable, contains no formaldehyde and no volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Pilgrim International, Jerry Sell, explained the significance of Pilgrim replacing conventional wood floor systems with the new CosmoLite composite substrate.

“This is just part of Pilgrim’s forward-looking plan to revolutionize the RV industry with incredible new composite products that will change the way recreational vehicles are manufactured and extend the life of our products in the field. This is another innovation towards our goal of eliminating wood and other outdated materials as we move towards manufacturing an all composite recreational vehicle,” stated Sell, “Many of the dealers who visited our technology booth at last year’s Louisville RVIA show will remember trying to dent this material with a hammer—that was CosmoLite!” stated Sell.

Pilgrim’s Vice President of Product Development, Doug Lantz, explained how Pilgrim’s newly engineered CosmoLite composite floor system is the solution to one of the largest dealer warranty and consumer problems in the recreational vehicle industry.

“This new technology is a welcome end to floor rot. For all RV manufacturers and dealers, water damage to wooden substrates is one of the most costly and common warranty issues you can imagine. Once the wooden substrate is compromised by water, the flooring and even walls must be raised to make the fix. For consumers, a soft floor that has water or dry rot usually marks the end of the line for most RV’s—for both resale value and use.” Lantz explained this won’t be an issue for Pilgrim, “Our new CosmoLite floors are completely water proof from both the inside and from the undercarriage. Warranty issues over water damage in the floors are over. Pilgrim owners will now have a floor that will outlast any wood product on the market for higher resale down the road,” said Lantz.

The Benefits of Pilgrim’s New Flooring Engineered with CosmoLite
CosmoLite is a bi-directional, thermoplastic fiberglass and polypropylene composite manufactured by a continuous laminating process in lengths specified.

Impervious to Water, Rotting, Mold, Softening and Dry-rot—
Unlike wood products such as Luan and Plywood, CosmoLite is an inorganic fiberglass reinforced polypropylene composite that is completely waterproof, ending the negative repair, warranty, resale, durability and structural problems associated with Luan and plywood. CosmoLite floors will not rot, mold, soften or dry rot—thus extending the life and resale value of Pilgrim products.

Uniform Integrity and Superior Impact Strength —
The impact strength of CosmoLite is 20 times that of Luan and plywood products. And since CosmoLite is bi-directional and has no grain like wood products, there are no weak points. The actual CosmoLite floor surface material that is vacuum laminated to the Pilgrim engineered floor is only about 1/8th of an inch thick. This unique one-piece, seamless system creates a more durable, stiff floor that reduces much of the flexing of the RV chassis resulting in a more stable, durable unit overall.

A Green Material Completely Formaldehyde and VOC Free—
The new Pilgrim engineered flooring with CosmoLite conserves trees by eliminating wood, has no out gassing of formaldehyde and is free of all volatile organic compounds (VOCs) resulting in a more environmentally friendly manufacturing process and final product. Using CosmoLite in the manufacturing process also results in less waste than wood products.

Lighter Weight Yet 20 Times as Strong—
When used in the floor system alone, in a 28-foot trailer CosmoLite eliminated close to 100 pounds of weight yet is 20 times stronger than wood products. The CosmoLite used in the Pilgrim engineered floor is .53 pounds per square foot—about one third less weight than comparable wood products.

A Completely Seamless One-piece Floor—
Since CosmoLite comes to the Pilgrim manufacturing facility in rolls, each piece is cut to fit each floor system exactly without any seams. No seams result in a higher quality, stiffer building platform and eliminates weak spots, seam transference, floor squeaks and the possibility of road moisture permeating from the undercarriage. Comparing the seamless floor in the new Pilgrim CosmoLite flooring system with old manufacturing methods is similar to comparing automotive body-on-frame technology with state-of-the-art uni-body construction.

Pilgrim International on Future RV Technology
“We believe within five years recreational vehicles will be designed and manufactured completely differently than they are today. We envision the future of the RV industry as a greener industry more dependent upon safer, man made materials, like our new CosmoLite floor system, and less dependent on natural resources such as wood. Even the tools and systems used to build the modern recreational vehicle will change. It’s very exciting to us that Pilgrim International is going to lead the way in many aspects of this manufacturing renaissance,” concluded Pilgrim International Chairman Dave Hoefer.

Pilgrim International, Inc. builds and sells travel trailer and fifth-wheel products. Celebrating its fifth year in business in 2007, Pilgrim has grown to the 15th largest producer in the towable segment of the $14 billion RV market. Pilgrim International is a recognized leader for product innovation, quality and value in travel trailers and fifth wheels.

Contact Pilgrim International, Inc., at 14489 U.S. 20, Middlebury, IN 46540,
Ph: 574-825-8686, Fx: 574-825-8166, or on the web at www.pilgrimintl.com

###

For Editors and Media only: For the complete story and high resolution photographs with captions visit http://www.classicpressroom.com/ and click on pressroom, then click on the Pilgrim logo.


			Link to this release in MS Word format
		For Immediate Release: Monday, September 10, 2007, 08:00 a.m. EST Media Contact: Ron Barger Phone: 269-687-9128 Fax: 269-687-9130 Mobile: 574-850-3262 E-mail: ron@classicpressroom.com
Pilgrim International 2008 New Product Feature Release PILGRIM INTERNATIONAL FIRST WITH COSMOLITE COMPOSITE SUBSTRATE FLOORS FOR SELECTED 2008 MODELS
	Pilgrim CosmoLite Composite Eradicates Rotting Floors to Lower Dealer Warranty Issues and Extend the Life of Pilgrim Products for Consumers Middlebury, Ind. — Pilgrim International, Inc. of Middlebury, Indiana, is pleased to announce it has begun to eliminate Luan and wood used in floor substrates of selected 2008 models by introducing the revolutionary new CosmoLite composite one-piece, structural flooring. The new CosmoLite flooring is impervious to water and provides superior strength and durability when compared to wood. Pilgrim’s new seamless CosmoLite substrate flooring will be standard equipment immediately on all Pilgrim International Cirrus and Pilgrim 1500 Lite Series trailers for 2008. This is the first move towards the full integration of composite flooring across all Pilgrim product lines. CosmoLite is a completely waterproof composite that will never rot, yet is lighter weight than conventional plywood or Luan. Pilgrim’s new CosmoLite non-woven, seamless fiberglass and polypropylene composite floors are also more environmentally friendly. Along with depleting zero natural resources, it is recyclable, contains no formaldehyde and no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Pilgrim International, Jerry Sell, explained the significance of Pilgrim replacing conventional wood floor systems with the new CosmoLite composite substrate. “This is just part of Pilgrim’s forward-looking plan to revolutionize the RV industry with incredible new composite products that will change the way recreational vehicles are manufactured and extend the life of our products in the field. This is another innovation towards our goal of eliminating wood and other outdated materials as we move towards manufacturing an all composite recreational vehicle,” stated Sell, “Many of the dealers who visited our technology booth at last year’s Louisville RVIA show will remember trying to dent this material with a hammer—that was CosmoLite!” stated Sell. Pilgrim’s Vice President of Product Development, Doug Lantz, explained how Pilgrim’s newly engineered CosmoLite composite floor system is the solution to one of the largest dealer warranty and consumer problems in the recreational vehicle industry. “This new technology is a welcome end to floor rot. For all RV manufacturers and dealers, water damage to wooden substrates is one of the most costly and common warranty issues you can imagine. Once the wooden substrate is compromised by water, the flooring and even walls must be raised to make the fix. For consumers, a soft floor that has water or dry rot usually marks the end of the line for most RV’s—for both resale value and use.” Lantz explained this won’t be an issue for Pilgrim, “Our new CosmoLite floors are completely water proof from both the inside and from the undercarriage. Warranty issues over water damage in the floors are over. Pilgrim owners will now have a floor that will outlast any wood product on the market for higher resale down the road,” said Lantz. The Benefits of Pilgrim’s New Flooring Engineered with CosmoLite CosmoLite is a bi-directional, thermoplastic fiberglass and polypropylene composite manufactured by a continuous laminating process in lengths specified. Impervious to Water, Rotting, Mold, Softening and Dry-rot— Unlike wood products such as Luan and Plywood, CosmoLite is an inorganic fiberglass reinforced polypropylene composite that is completely waterproof, ending the negative repair, warranty, resale, durability and structural problems associated with Luan and plywood. CosmoLite floors will not rot, mold, soften or dry rot—thus extending the life and resale value of Pilgrim products. Uniform Integrity and Superior Impact Strength — The impact strength of CosmoLite is 20 times that of Luan and plywood products. And since CosmoLite is bi-directional and has no grain like wood products, there are no weak points. The actual CosmoLite floor surface material that is vacuum laminated to the Pilgrim engineered floor is only about 1/8th of an inch thick. This unique one-piece, seamless system creates a more durable, stiff floor that reduces much of the flexing of the RV chassis resulting in a more stable, durable unit overall. A Green Material Completely Formaldehyde and VOC Free— The new Pilgrim engineered flooring with CosmoLite conserves trees by eliminating wood, has no out gassing of formaldehyde and is free of all volatile organic compounds (VOCs) resulting in a more environmentally friendly manufacturing process and final product. Using CosmoLite in the manufacturing process also results in less waste than wood products. Lighter Weight Yet 20 Times as Strong— When used in the floor system alone, in a 28-foot trailer CosmoLite eliminated close to 100 pounds of weight yet is 20 times stronger than wood products. The CosmoLite used in the Pilgrim engineered floor is .53 pounds per square foot—about one third less weight than comparable wood products. A Completely Seamless One-piece Floor— Since CosmoLite comes to the Pilgrim manufacturing facility in rolls, each piece is cut to fit each floor system exactly without any seams. No seams result in a higher quality, stiffer building platform and eliminates weak spots, seam transference, floor squeaks and the possibility of road moisture permeating from the undercarriage. Comparing the seamless floor in the new Pilgrim CosmoLite flooring system with old manufacturing methods is similar to comparing automotive body-on-frame technology with state-of-the-art uni-body construction. Pilgrim International on Future RV Technology “We believe within five years recreational vehicles will be designed and manufactured completely differently than they are today. We envision the future of the RV industry as a greener industry more dependent upon safer, man made materials, like our new CosmoLite floor system, and less dependent on natural resources such as wood. Even the tools and systems used to build the modern recreational vehicle will change. It’s very exciting to us that Pilgrim International is going to lead the way in many aspects of this manufacturing renaissance,” concluded Pilgrim International Chairman Dave Hoefer. Pilgrim International, Inc. builds and sells travel trailer and fifth-wheel products. Celebrating its fifth year in business in 2007, Pilgrim has grown to the 15th largest producer in the towable segment of the $14 billion RV market. Pilgrim International is a recognized leader for product innovation, quality and value in travel trailers and fifth wheels. Contact Pilgrim International, Inc., at 14489 U.S. 20, Middlebury, IN 46540, Ph: 574-825-8686, Fx: 574-825-8166, or on the web at www.pilgrimintl.com ### For Editors and Media only: For the complete story and high resolution photographs with captions visit http://www.classicpressroom.com/ and click on pressroom, then click on the Pilgrim logo.
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