A decline in demand for recreational boats is driving Mercury Marine, a boat parts manufacturer in Fond du Lac County, to prepare to cut 300 positions this summer, according to a spokesperson.
The company said in a statement the layoffs at its global headquarters in Fond du Lac will run through July, and are part of operations “adjustments” in Wisconsin, Florida and Mexico.
“These actions were taken due to softening of consumer demand in some of our markets mainly as a result of continued high interest rates and near-term reductions in boat production by Mercury’s boat builder partners,” the company said.
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Mercury Marine did not provide details on which positions were affected, and a layoff notice was not available on the state Department of Workforce Development webpage as of Friday Morning.
The company’s operations in Fond du Lac include manufacturing facilities and corporate offices. In April, WGBA-TV reported more than 100 people had already been laid off at Mercury Marine this year.
Mercury Marine said it will still have more than 3,500 full-time employees in Fond du Lac following this round of workforce reductions.
In the first quarter of 2024, Mercury Marine’s parent company, Brunswick Corp., reported consolidated net sales were down $378 million from the same period of last year.
Earlier this year, Racine County boat manufacturer BRP Inc. laid off 298 workers at its plant in the village of Sturtevant. That company reported its revenues were down more than 16 percent in the first quarter.
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