 In the
Spotlight
Bombardier Recreational
Products
This is the kind of story we rarely see these
days. It’s a story where the phoenix rises out
of the ashes, and quality and hard work prevail.
It’s the story of how Bombardier Recreational
Products (BRP) since 2001 has revived Johnson®
and Evinrude® outboard engines, applying
fundamental quality principles it uses with its
SkiDoo® and Lynx® snowmobiles, SeaDoo®
watercraft and sport boats, as well as its direct
injection technologies, all-terrain vehicles, engines
and karts, and utility vehicles.
In 1937, Joseph-Armand Bombardier founded the
company when he introduced the first
“snowmobile.” Not only did this invention
create an entire new sport/pastime, but it also
launched more than 60 years of innovation in the
recreational products arena.
Some experts wondered if the company had
overstepped its capabilities when it acquired the
bankrupt engine assets of Outboard Marine Corp.
(OMC), the maker of Evinrude and Johnson outboard
engines, for $55 million in 2001. OMC’s market
share had dropped from 55% to near nothing as
manufacturing ceased operations.
The powerful direct injection technology that OMC
had hoped would differentiate it from competitors had
tolerances that were too demanding for production to
meet, and production was mired in a process that
involved nine plants in the United States, Canada,
and Mexico. For example, transmission housings for
engines were die cast in Waukegan, IL; machined and
subassembled in Andrews, NC; and then finally
assembled in Calhoun, GA. Just moving parts and
subassemblies back and forth wasted valuable time and
increased costs.
After taking over, BRP took immediate action to
restart the business. A seasoned manufacturing
executive, Roch Lambert, was named vice president and
general manager for boats and outboard engines, and
he quickly created a team of internal experts in
manufacturing, plant maintenance, finance, marketing,
and quality control. Lambert personally began writing
dealers every few days to keep them updated on steps
being taken toward again providing them with reliable
supplies of Johnson and Evinrude outboard
engines.
The team rebuilt manufacturing, developing and
implementing a highly detailed plan that addressed
every aspect of the business. Many former OMC
operations were consolidated into a newly obtained
facility in Sturtevant, WI. As the team studied the
situation and made changes, they learned just how
serious things can get. For instance, only 15,000 of
the 120,000 crankshafts and just 20% of the thousands
of connecting rods in OMC’s inventory could be
used!
On the morning of June 21, 2001, some trucks
carried out printing presses that belonged to the
Sturtevant plant’s previous owners, and others
delivered production equipment for an advanced
outboard engine production facility. Over the next 78
days, the Sturtevant manufacturing operation took
shape, and 6,000 resumes were screened to select the
500 employees who were needed for operations.
Problem-solving and team interaction skills were
prioritized over previous work experience in engine
assembly during the hiring process.
The team recognized from the onset that it had to
be back in operation, shipping products to customers,
by the fall of 2001. Team members also understood
that success depended on delivering the highest
quality engines to customers from the day the doors
of the new plant opened.
Supplier certification and receiving inspection
systems were developed. Procedures for assembly
inspections, where each assembler spends as much as
20% of his/her time making sure that output from the
prior step met quality standards, were put into
place. Several operations that were previously
performed by outside suppliers were brought
In-House/On-Site to ensure quality and improve
workflow. Finally, an exhaustive battery of final
product tests/inspections, including “hot
testing” every engine in water with a propeller
attached and monitored by computer, was
implemented.
The plant completed its first engine on September
26, 2001. Bombardier Recreational Products has
restored consumer and dealer confidence in outboard
quality. Dealers are impressed with the
company’s increased capabilities, including
keeping the supply lines filled, so most of them have
re-enrolled in the company’s programs.
Evinrude outboard engines received the
“Highest in Customer Satisfaction with 2-Stroke
Engines” in the J.D. Power and
Associates’ 2003 Marine Engine Competitive
Information Study.SM The excellence of the
company’s products has been noted in other
ways, including the National Marine
Manufacturers’ Association 2003 Innovation
Award, the 2004 Editor’s Choice Award from
Motorboating Magazine, and three consecutive B.A.S.S.
Angler of the Year awards.
Today, Bombardier Recreational Products offers the
industry’s best protection program for outboard
engines—five years of total protection on
Johnson and seven years on Evinrude purchased before
April 15, 2004. Clearly, the company is sending a
strong message to the industry that it intends to
stand by its commitment to excellence.
"Receiving the J.D. Power award is a real
triumph,” says Roch Lambert, who now serves as
BRP executive vice president of design, engineering,
sales and marketing, and after-sales service.
“It’s a testament to the steps we took to
perfect direct injection technology through BRP
management discipline and innovation.
“This means that consumers have experienced
the durability, quality, and reliability of our
outboard engines, and they clearly appreciate the
impact we’ve made in the outboard engine market
since the Evinrude and Johnson brands became part of
the Bombardier Recreational Products family,”
added Lambert.
“We’re very confident that this is
only the beginning for us. Our ability to innovate,
achieve the highest quality, and keep cycle times
short and costs down is carrying us into the
future.”
SM J.D. Power and Associates 2003 Marine
Engine Competitive Information Study. Study based on
responses from a total of 10,734 owners of 2002 and
early 2003 model-year boats. www.jdpower.com
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