From Hoover’s Bizmology comes an article about the North Dakota Oil boom and a related spike in manufactured hosuing shipments. Writer James Bryant says in the article that the oil boom in the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota has manufactured home companies scrambling to meet demand. The recent declines in shipments began to reverse around August of 2011 and by November shipments grew more than 50 percent compared to November, 2010. According to the article a Nebraska Champion plant is adding workers and increasing production. Sales have also improved for Cavco. 2012, Bryant says, may be the kind of year manufactured home builders have been waiting for. Bryant also concludes that with a shift in the U.S. housing market toward multi-family units, manufactured housing may be a more affordable option over site-built homes for those opting to buy rather than rent.
