My apologies if this is old news or if it has been posted here already. I really thought it was interesting reading as it relates to the BRP outboard operations and their reorganization…
Here ya go:
BRP restructures, lays off nearly 1,000 employees
Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) announced a companywide restructuring and the layoffs of 980 workers across all its divisions. It also announced that it will reduce production by 20 per cent for the coming year.
The company said the global economic recession has prompted a decline in production to “accurately reflect the retail and inventory realities of the marketplace.” It will also reduce its workforce by 20 per cent. A statement noted that 550 “white-collar” jobs will be eliminated. Eighty per cent of those workers will be laid off this month, with the remaining 20 per cent of job cuts coming over the next nine months. Last quarter, BRP laid off 370 workers on its production lines and another 430 workers have received temporary lay-off notices this quarter.
“We must take appropriate preventive measures considering the seriousness of the situation,” said José Boisjoli, president and CEO, in the statement. “We believe these measures will reduce our costs and make BRP less vulnerable to drastic declines in revenues caused by events outside our control.”
BRP is also undergoing a companywide restructuring. The engine divisions (BRP-Rotax and Outboard engines) will be merged into the new “Powertrain” division. It will be responsible for manufacturing and engineering activities of Evinrude and Rotax engines.
Rotax engines will continue to be manufactured in Gunskirchen, Austria and Juarez, Mexico, while the Evinrude outboard manufacturing will remain in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, and Dalang, China. Engineering departments in Waukegan and Gunskirchen will be part of this division.
The “Vehicle Development and Manufacturing” division will include engineering services for the Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo and Can-Am brands as well as new product development for these brands. This division will include the Valcourt and Benton plants that manufacture Sea-Doo personal watercraft and sport boats as well as the Juarez plant for all-terrain vehicles.
BRP also announced a new “Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo and Evinrude” (SSE) division that will incorporate sales and marketing for Sea-Doo and Evinrude brands in North America. It will be headed by Roch Lambert, vice president and general manager.
“These initiatives will help us come out of the recession a stronger company because this new structure provides us with the tools to focus on cost reductions, market strategies, product launches, product innovation and to maximize synergies in both the Vehicle Development and Manufacturing division and the Powertrain division,” said Boisjoli.
(10 December 2008)
