Mercury Marine to Open Purpose Built Distribution Center to Meet Record Demand

FOND DU LAC, Wisc., Dec. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) announced today that it will open a centralized, purpose-built, distribution center to support its industry leading parts and accessories business. The new 512,000 square foot facility will be located near Indianapolis, Indiana, a strategic location that will improve delivery and service to Mercury’s global customers while adding much needed capacity for scale, stability, and reduced logistics costs.  Mercury’s current distribution facility at its global headquarters in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, will be repurposed to support its award-winning propulsion systems, further allowing the company to increase capacity and production capabilities.

“In order for us to continue to meet the needs of our global customers, we identified an opportunity to create a centralized distribution center that will have an immediate impact on our customers and our business,” said Chris Drees, Mercury Marine president. “This new facility bolsters our ability to deliver products in a centralized location which will benefit all our channel partners. Our current distribution facility in Fond du Lac will be converted into additional manufacturing space, used to meet record demand for Mercury propulsion systems.”

Employees currently working at Mercury’s distribution facility will be provided additional opportunities within the company. This new distribution center will also allow the Land ‘N’ Sea facilities to expand its offering to adjacent customers.

The anticipated opening of the new distribution facility is scheduled for October 2022. The building is also being designed for LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) Silver certification. Part of the design to achieve this certification is a portion of the roof mounted solar array that will be installed on the Southwest corner of the facility. 

Additionally, Mercury has announced three new expansions to its Fond du Lac campus to meet record demand from its global customers. Mercury will make two additions to its foundry and one to its machining facility, adding 100,000 square feet to its global headquarters. With these additions, Mercury will now have three million square feet of manufacturing in Fond du Lac. Since 2009, Mercury has now invested more than $1.7B in capacity and expansion growing to now more than 4,000 employees in Fond du Lac.

“As demand for all our products continues to grow around the world, so does our need to grow our manufacturing, distribution, and production capabilities,” said Drees. “Expanding these facilities in Wisconsin and the opening of the new distribution center in Indiana will immediately give us the opportunity to meet the growing needs of our global channel partners.”

About Mercury Marine

Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Mercury Marine is the world’s leading manufacturer of recreational marine propulsion engines. A division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC), Mercury provides engines, boats, services and parts for recreational, commercial and government marine applications. Mercury empowers boaters with products that are easy to use, extremely reliable and backed by the most dedicated customer support in the world. The company’s industry‑leading brand portfolio includes Mercury outboard engines, Mercury MerCruiser sterndrive and inboard packages, Mercury propellers, Mercury inflatable boats, Mercury SmartCraft electronics, Land 'N' Sea marine parts distribution and Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils. More information is available at MercuryMarine.com.

About Brunswick

Headquartered in Mettawa, Ill., Brunswick Corporation’s leading consumer brands include Mercury Marine outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrive and inboard packages; Mercury global parts and accessories including propellers and SmartCraft electronics; Advanced Systems Group, which includes industry-leading brands such as Simrad, Lowrance, C-MAP, B&G, MotorGuide, Attwood, Mastervolt, RELiON, Blue Sea Systems, CZone, and ASG Connect system integrators; Land ’N’ Sea, BLA, Payne’s Marine, Kellogg Marine, and Lankhorst Taselaar marine parts distribution; Mercury and Quicksilver parts and oils; Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Crestliner, Cypress Cay, Harris, Heyday, Lowe, Lund, Princecraft, Quicksilver, Rayglass, Sea Ray, Thunder Jet and Uttern boats; Boating Services Network, Freedom Boat Club and Boat Class.  For more information, visit brunswick.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, and projections about Brunswick’s business and by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Words such as “may,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” "anticipate," "project," "position," “intend,” “target,” “plan,” “seek,” “estimate,” “believe,” “predict,” “outlook,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from expectations as of the date of this news release. These risks include, but are not limited to: the effect of adverse general economic conditions, including the amount of disposable income consumers have available for discretionary spending; changes in currency exchange rates; fiscal policy concerns; adverse economic, credit, and capital market conditions; higher energy and fuel costs; competitive pricing pressures; the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the emergence of variant strains; managing our manufacturing footprint; adverse weather conditions, climate change events and other catastrophic event risks; international business risks; our ability to develop new and innovative products and services at a competitive price; our ability to meet demand in a rapidly changing environment; loss of key customers; actual or anticipated increases in costs, disruptions of supply, or defects in raw materials, parts, or components we purchase from third parties, including as a result of pressures due to the pandemic; supplier manufacturing constraints, increased demand for shipping carriers, and transportation disruptions; absorbing fixed costs in production; risks associated with joint ventures that do not operate solely for our benefit; our ability to successfully implement our strategic plan and growth initiatives; our ability to integrate acquisitions, including Navico, and the risk for associated disruption to our business; the risk that unexpected costs will be incurred in connection with the Navico transaction or the possibility that the expected synergies and value creation from the transaction will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; attracting and retaining skilled labor, implementing succession plans for key leadership, and executing organizational and leadership changes; our ability to identify, complete, and integrate targeted acquisitions; the risk that strategic divestitures will not provide business benefits; maintaining effective distribution; adequate financing access for dealers and customers; requirements for us to repurchase inventory; inventory reductions by dealers, retailers, or independent boat builders; risks related to the Freedom Boat Club franchise business model; outages, breaches, or other cybersecurity events regarding our technology systems, which could affect manufacturing and business operations and could result in lost or stolen information and associated remediation costs; our ability to protect our brands and intellectual property; changes to U.S. trade policy and tariffs; any impairment to the value of goodwill and other assets; product liability, warranty, and other claims risks; legal and regulatory compliance, including increased costs, fines, and reputational risks; changes in income tax legislation or enforcement; managing our share repurchases; and risks associated with certain divisive shareholder activist actions.

Lee Gordon
Vice President – Brunswick Global Communications & Public Affairs
Brunswick Office: 847-735-4003
Mercury Office: 920-924-1808
Cell: 904-860-8848
Lee.Gordon@Brunswick.com

Released December 6, 2021