Mercury Marine Scoops the “Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year” Award

They are the Oscars of the manufacturing industry. The Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Awards Ceremony was held on February 21, 2019, at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, and Mercury Marine (the world leader in marine propulsion and technology) was awarded as 2019’s Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year in the Mega category.

This is the third time Mercury Marine (which is also the largest division of Brunswick Corporation) has won the prestigious award: first in 2006 then again in 2014. It also so happens that the Fond du Lac-based firm is celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2019.

For those not acquainted with the awards, they are presented once a year by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) to companies based in the state. All nominees of the awards should be firms that produce world-class products and create employment for people in communities where they (the companies) are located.

“We are honored to win the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award for the third time,” said John Pfeifer, the President of Mercury Marine. “We have invested more than $1 billion in expansion and R&D over the past 10 years and in 2018, we had the largest product launch in the history of our company,” he added.

Below is an enumeration of milestones Mercury Marine achieved in 2018.

• Broke ground on completing a $10 million expansion project that added a 20,000 square feet research facility to the 2.5 million square foot campus. The firm also made major upgrades to its other facilities.
• Had the largest, major new-product rollout in the company’s history. The rollout included 19 new V-6 and V-8 outboard engines and 7 other new engines. Better yet, on average, Marine Mercury has released a major product every six weeks for the last six years, allowing it to set the pace for marine innovation.
• Workforce expanded by 12 percent to support increased production. The firm experienced an unmatched product demand response in 2018.
• Adopted state-of-the-art, automated manufacturing equipment. These already-installed and implemented gadgets are highly effective compared to the previous equipment the company was using.
• Also had to adopt new manufacturing practices and adapt them to higher output when demand skyrocketed beyond their expectations.

“Although Mercury has unveiled many new innovations and has amassed many successes through the years, 2018 stands out as a particularly remarkable year of achievements that will help to shape the future of both Mercury Marine and the entire boating industry and it is gratifying to be recognized for this honor by the WMC,” Pfeifer wrote in a statement after winning the award.

As a show of appreciation, the company has decided to celebrate its 80th anniversary throughout the year with its customers and employees.