Brunswick downsizes for smaller US marine market
The largest boat builder in the world, the USA's Brunswick Corporation is downsizing the company to improve profitability during the current downturn in the U.S. marine market, including actions to reduce its fixed-cost structure by US$300 million versus 2007 spending levels. 
'BrunswickLogo'
'For the past several years, we have been implementing initiatives to fundamentally change our cost structure by reducing our manufacturing footprint, and leveraging purchases of common components and materials across our brands and operations,' explained Dusty McCoy, Brunswick's chairman and chief executive officer.
McCoy foreshadowed some of Brunswick's plans when he talked to Powerboat-World in March 2008 but the depth of the US downturn have increased the range and depth of the changes being done by Brunswick
McCoy said 'In addition, we have addressed the prolonged downturn in the U.S. marine market by continually reducing production rates throughout our marine businesses, divesting under-utilized assets, exiting or divesting certain businesses, eliminating discretionary spending and reducing headcount.
'While these efforts have resulted in significant savings, the realities of the current U.S. marine market have caused us to step up the pace and magnitude of these efforts.'
'Retail unit sales of power boats in the United States have been in decline since late 2005; however, the rate of decline has been accelerating,' McCoy added. 'Industry retail unit sales were down 13 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007 and down 21 percent in the first quarter of 2008 compared with the respective year-ago quarters.
'Further, these reductions were recorded off of an already low base. Total unit sales of power boats in the United States in 2007 were at their lowest in more than 40 years.'
'An uncertain economy, high fuel and food prices, slumping home sales and values, rising unemployment and other factors continue to erode U.S. consumers' confidence and are reducing their ability and desire to purchase discretionary items such as boats, and billiards tables and fitness equipment for their homes,' McCoy explained.
'For our planning purposes, we are not assuming that these pressures will abate any time soon. As a result, we are planning for an environment in which the U.S. marine market will be smaller in the near term, and we will resize our company accordingly.
'Our objective is to thrive and prosper while the U.S. marine market remains under pressure and to outperform when we see a rebound in demand.'
Brunswick stated that its $300 million cost savings target will be achieved in part by further shrinking its North American manufacturing footprint. The company plans to have 17 or fewer boat plants by the end of 2009, compared with the 29 it had in 2007.
This will require the closure of four plants in addition to eight plant closures already completed or announced. Brunswick will also continue its efforts to reduce the complexity of its operations, including reducing the number of models and option packages, focusing on those that are popular and clearly resonate with consumers. 
The company's efforts also entail assessing the outlook for continued participation in certain market segments across its operations that may not offer opportunities to generate acceptable levels of profitability.
The company said it will further reduce costs by implementing a new matrix operating model that will more efficiently provide common support functions and administrative services across all Brunswick business units, lowering spending in all functional and operations activities, and reducing its work force.
'These obviously are hard decisions, dictated by a difficult economy that has both constricted and altered the U.S. marine market,' McCoy said.
'We have chosen to act now to recast and resize our operations with the objective of being profitable within a smaller marine market. We are confident that these targeted savings and other changes are realistic and achievable, as well as necessary, to create a leaner organization that will be able to both prosper within these market conditions, as well as take advantage of any up-tick in demand.'
'Our immediate focus remains on managing pipeline inventories at our marine dealers, as well as enhancing our solid liquidity at Brunswick,' McCoy continued.
'We will continue to produce at rates below retail demand to lower pipeline inventories. A reduction in production rates also results, unfortunately, in the need for fewer workers.' The company said that it had notified employees today that it would be reducing its hourly and salaried work force at certain of its marine plants by 1,000.
Further work force reductions of approximately 1,000 hourly and 700 salaried employees across the company's marine business units and staff functions are contemplated as additional plant closures and consolidations and other cost-cutting measures are completed.
'Maintaining liquidity will continue to be a key priority in these uncertain times,' McCoy added. 'We are focusing on generating cash through good working capital management, paring inventories and discretionary spending. Our balance sheet is solid, and we expect to generate positive cash flow benefits in 2008 by further reducing capital spending and from positive contributions from changes in working capital.'
The company said that these actions are estimated to result in restructuring charges in the range of $200 million to $220 million pre-tax, which includes approximately $75 million of previously announced restructuring charges related to actions taken earlier this year.
While Brunswick's US operations are being affected, internationally the weakness of the US dollars has increased its competiveness on the international scene.
Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., Brunswick Corporation offers the following marine consumer brands, Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser stern drives and inboard engines; MotorGuide trolling motors; Teignbridge propellers; MotoTron electronic controls; Albemarle, Arvor, Bayliner, Bermuda, Boston Whaler, Cabo Yachts, Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris, Hatteras, Kayot, Lowe, Lund, Maxum, Meridian, Ornvik, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Rayglass, Savage, Sea Ray, Sealine, Triton, Trophy, Uttern and Valiant boats; Attwood marine parts and accessories; Land 'N' Sea, Kellogg Marine, Diversified Marine.
For more information, visit www.brunswick.com.
by Marine Business News 
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