FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Mercury Marine’s Fond du Lac headquarters is getting bigger.
A multi-million-dollar project is underway to expand the company’s propeller-casting facility.
Mercury Marine broke ground on the new 30,000 square foot expansion Friday afternoon.
“It’s a $17 million expansion, increasing our capacity – almost doubling our capacity, so we’re really excited,” Mercury Marine president Chris Drees said. “We’re a world leader in propeller manufacturing, and this is just going to expand our lead.”
Mercury dominates in propeller production, making more than 400 different propellers for a variety of boats.
Company leaders say this expansion will almost double stainless-steel propeller production.
“Within the last few years, we’ve been very tight on supply,” said Dirk Bjornstad, Mercury Marine Propellers general manager. “This expansion is going to position us to take care of our customers, and also grow in the Fond du Lac Community.”
Mercury Marine accounts for more than 3,000 jobs around Fond du Lac. This new propeller facility addition will propel even more economic growth.
“We have a great business climate here – it just keeps growing,” said State Representative Glenn Grothman, R-6th District. “It’ll be more good jobs for the Fond du Lac area and, quite frankly, just about everybody right now is looking for skilled laborers, so hopefully [it will] get more, and more people involved in manufacturing.”
Mercury Marine has made its mark in the Fond du Lac area and, in creating these top of the line propellers, Bjornstad says employees make their own unique mark on each one.
“If you actually look on the inside of a Mercury propeller, you’ll see a letter, and that letter designates with a particular employee, who actually worked on that product, having pride in your work and being able to say, ‘Hey, I made that!’” he said.
Leaders at Mercury say the growth shows a commitment to customers and the community.
The addition will increase Mercury Marine’s overall investment to more than a billion dollars since 2008.
