Brunswick To Expand Production Capacity At Three Boat Manufacturing Facilities - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Brunswick Corp. (BC) said Monday it is increasing production capacity at three of its global boat manufacturing facilities to meet unprecedented consumer demand and help in replenishing historically low field inventory levels.

Mettawa, Illinois-based Brunswick said it will reopen its 225,000 square-foot boat manufacturing facility in Palm Coast, Florida to expand dedicated manufacturing capability for Boston Whaler products by an additional 40 percent. The Palm Coast facility, which has been inactive since 2018, was designed to manufacture large boats. Since 2014, Boston Whaler has invested more than $60 million towards manufacturing a full line of new products in addition to expanding manufacturing capacity by 75 percent during that time at its current 550,000 square-foot global headquarters and manufacturing center in Edgewater, Florida.

In 2019 Brunswick also opened the 45,000 square foot fiberglass boat technology center in Edgewater.

The company noted that Boston Whaler currently employs more than 1,200 employees in Edgewater and will add an additional 300 to 400 jobs over the next 18 to 24 months at Palm Coast; a short distance from the Edgewater site. The first boats will come off the production line at the Palm Coast facility in the second half of 2021.

In addition, Brunswick is expanding boat manufacturing capacity at both its facilities in Reynosa, Mexico and Vila Nova Cerveira, Portugal.

The Reynosa facility, which manufactures Bayliner, Heyday, Sea Ray and Lund fiberglass boats, will boost capacity by 58 percent over the next 18 months. The facility will run seven days a week and add an additional 260 employees.

The Vila Nova expansion plan is currently underway. Over the next three years, Brunswick will more than double production capacity at the facility, which manufactures Bayliner, Uttern and Quicksilver products for the European market.