Another Boat Builder - Closes Down.

T

tom&shan

New member
Brunswick Corp. will permanently shut its Arlington yacht factory by year's end, idling most of the facility's 790 employees, the recreational equipment company said today.

The Arlington plant, along with one in Roseburg, Ore., will close for good by year-end, and a plant in Navassa, N.C., will be mothballed. A fourth plant, in Pipestone, Minn., will permanently close early next year, Brunswick said in a statement

About 1,450 hourly and salaried positions at those plants will be eliminated as Brunswick battens down the hatches to survive what CEO Dustan McCoy called "the most turbulent economic times in recent history."

Company spokesman Dan Kubera said "the vast majority" of the 790 workers at Brunswick's Arlington plant will lose their jobs. The Arlington plant builds Meridian yachts and does research and development as well as some headquarters functions for Brunswick's US Marine unit.
 
I know it is Bayliner in Roseburg. I don't know about Arlington. I thought they built Bayliners also in a plant in Marysville?
 
Nevermind, I read the last sentence of the first post and it answered my question...

Are Meridian's built anywhere else? Or is this then end of the Meridian (and previously the Bayliner Yacht) line?
 
lloyds":sb9q93fc said:
I know it is Bayliner in Roseburg. I don't know about Arlington. I thought they built Bayliners also in a plant in Marysville?
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The Brunswick plant is listed as US Marine in the phone book. It is located in Arlington on 59th Avenue NE, just across from the Arlington Airport. If my memory serves me right they used to build Reinell boats prior to Bayliner & Meridian. When we were in business in Marysville, we did a lot of work for US Marine through one of their vendors. Sorry to see that this is happening.

Ruth & Joe
R-MATEY
 
The Arlington plant only builds Meridian yachts, 34 to 58'. This is the only plant in the U.S. that builds Meridians. Their plan is to have the Meridians built in Florida in a newer plant that was built for Searay, 5 years ago, outside of Orlando. Another reason for all of these closures is that Brunswick is moving these manufacturing lines into newer buildings. This is a great move for Meridian, as they will now be under the eye of Searay, which means they will offer a better product with better quality control than they had before. It is too bad for the local economy though, with loosing all of those jobs in Snohomish County and in Washington State. Lake Union Searay in Seattle has picked up the Meridian line for Western Washington, now that Olympic Boat Centers has closed all of their 22 stores.
 
Let me see if I've got this...

In this economy, they are making capital expenditures to retool and/or move operations across the country? And while the rest of the industry is cutting jobs left and right, these guys are spending money to move a high-end operation and eliminating experienced workers? And they'll be training all new workers in this new plant, 'cause it'll be more efficient? And you're happy about all this since there will be enormous delivery charges to get the boats from Florida to your dealership?

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. :roll:
 
James, the boats won't cost anymore to get to Washington from Florida, as Meridian, along with most boat manufacturers, use what they call standardized freight. Most people are aware of this, I thought you would be too....

Riiiiiiiiiiiiight :lol:
 
I would certainly like to know about this "Standardized freight" which does not cost any more from Washington to Florida, than buying a boat in Washington?

My C Dory Tom Cat had a freight charge of $2500 in Florida--which I thought was a "good deal", considering what the usual boat hauling or even on the road trucking costs. When I had priced a C Dory in Washington, there was no such freight charge.

Many boat builders are moving out of Florida--and going to lower tax, lower insurance and lower wage states, such as Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas. Sea Ray shut down the Merritt Island Fl. factory for the month of July because of projected decrease in demand of this line.

I believe that Tennessee plants are also being shut down. Here are some industry figures which are the most recent issue of Boating Industry. Sales Volume June 07 thru June 08 down 21%. (I would guess that it would be down 40% if you were to look at Oct to Oct). Profit margin down 68%! during the same peroid. Anyway you spin that, the boating industry is a a world of hurt. I believe that it will be a long time coming out of the slump--and a lot of people in all phases of boating sales will looking for work else where.

About 45 years ago, I had just bought a new 30 Columbia Sailboat. I had a wonderful salesman. But I was very naive; I was shocked to find out a few months later, that this boat salesman was selling used cars...we had a little blip in the economy. Columbia and come and gone--and a lot of other companies will also.
 
jonny, I understand the freight pricing concept. If you were in the market for a new boat, who would you buy it from: a nice guy or a sarcastic person trying to put a spin on a tough situation? Most people would know who to choose, I thought you would, too.

Does it hurt when you shoot yourself in the foot like that? In another thread, you insulted one of our most respected members. I'm probably on the other end of that spectrum, but as a new person around here, you wouldn't know that.

I'll put a smiley here so you know I'm just having fun. :lol:

Good luck,
Jim B.
 
Brunswick, Bayliner, U.S. Marine, Meridian.........all the same, just different names at different times. I frequently drive past the plant which is only 4 miles from our home, (which is in Arlington across the road from the Arlington Airport) it is one and the same. This is the same plant that shut down manufacturing for a month this summer and kept up the employees insurance for them for that month and allowed them to move their vacation time to that time period so they could keep some what financially above water.

The sad part is the loss of jobs, which again strikes "close to home" in that one of my wife's co-workers family is directly affected by this closure. Her husband, and two son's are both employed there, their final date of employment unknown, but apparently before 12/31/08.
 
DaveS, does that plant really employ 790 people? I have been by there many times and just can’t see 790 people working in that building. Loss of jobs is sad but if the owners can’t sell the boats then they have no choice. Any one feel guilty about all the Bayliner bashing that has took place here? I didn’t think so. Does anyone doubt that trickledown economics works now? The rich have less money and now buy fewer boats, poor folks don’t buy 50fters, which causes the loss of jobs. I have never worked for a poor person.
 
starcrafttom":342809ht said:
DaveS, does that plant really employ 790 people?
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Tom, the following is a quote from this morning's Everett Herald..."Earlier this year, the company had about 830 employees. All but a few customer service workers will lose their jobs."

The article goes on to quote Kristin Banfield, the Arlington city spokeswoman to say, "Arlington is the original home of Bayliner boats and we're going to be sad to see them go."
 
wow, that building just does not look that big. I had a worker of theirs come in last year thinking about getting a home. Guy was a vet and ened up going back in the army instead.
 
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