7-12-13 merc groundbreaking

Using the same shovel used 49 years earlier by the founder of the company, Mercury Marine President Mark Schwabero broke ground Thursday on two new expansion projects that will provide increased capacity and capabilities for the world’s largest manufacturer of recreational boat engines. It was a repeat of an event conducted in 1964 when Mercury founder E. Carl Kiekhaefer marked the start of construction of the facilities where Mercury engines are still designed and built.  The expansion projects will add approximately 38,000 square feet to Mercury’s 1.5 million square feet of manufacturing space in Fond du Lac.

“Two years ago we knew expansion would come, but we didn’t know it would come this quickly,” said Schwabero. “This is good news.”  “Mercury is growing, as you can see by these two expansions. Recovery from the downturn remains sluggish in the boating industry, but we’re gaining share in certain segments, including large outboards. These facilities will lead to new product offerings and expanded market penetration.”   The total cost for both projects is approximately $20 million. Work at both sites has already begun and is scheduled to be completed by December. New equipment for both projects is scheduled to be installed by the end of 2013, and additional equipment is planned for installation in 2014 and 2015, which will maximize the capability of the newly constructed building space.  Mercury’s increased market share helped create the need for additional manufacturing space. The projects consist of a 20,000-square-foot addition to Mercury’s Plant 15 machining center to house next-generation horizontal machining equipment, and 18,000 additional square feet in Mercury’s Plant 17 casting facility to house high-pressure die-cast machines.  Approximately 90 percent of the project work is being performed by companies in the Fond du Lac area or Wisconsin. Mercury has partnered with Excel Engineering for architectural design and C.D. Smith for construction management. Mercury employs approximately 2,900 people in Fond du Lac, up from 1,600 in 2009.