wrote in message
ups.com...
Big difference between Brunswick (or Genmar) and Walmart.

Walmart doesn't manufacture anything, and by insisting that its
suppliers deliver at the lowest possible per unit cost (or lose the
contract to somebody who will) Walmart has indirectly forced a lot of
previously US mfg jobs overseas.

The big boat builders build boats, and most of them here in the US.
The fear that big boat companies will reduce all the brands down to the
lowest common denominator so far appears to be unfounded. In fact, the
most notable recent change in Brunswick products has been an
*improvement* in the quality of a lot of the medium size cruising
yachts as the Bayliner name was scrapped and the Meridian line
introduced instead. The top person in the Meridian division has been
(and may still be) the previous head of Sea Ray in Tennessee.

When Meridian was first introduced, most people suspected that the
company was simply trying to distance itself from the "stigma" of the
Bayliner name on more expensive boats. In fact, the first generation of
Meridians were primarily rebadged Bayliners with upgraded hardware,
systems, etc. Now that the Meridian line is filling up with "new"
models, even the harshest critics have a difficult time dismissing them
as simply dressed up Bayliners.

The boat business is a low-volume business, and many small
manufacturers build less than 10 boats per year. If the product
integrity can be maintained, (and only if), then there are some
benefits to everybody by combining the administrative costs, facility
costs, marketing costs, etc for a few brands.
Some of the savings is reflected by prices that rise more slowly than
they otherwise might, and the rest by increased corporate profits and
dividends.

I think that UMMA has an axe to grind and is being alarmist when
suggesting to its members that Brunswick hopes to put the independent
dealer out of business. Nonsense. There's so little money, and so much
risk in retail that the mfgrs are overjoyed to let somebody else try to
eke out a living on the short end of the stick.


Good point Chuck, although I not agreeing with your editorial comments.

Perhaps a better analogy is that Brunswick will become the equivalent of the
1970's MaBell.