Farmers will plant the most acres in a generation this year, led by the biggest corn crop since World War II, taking advantage of the highest agricultural prices in at least four decades.Brunswick Corp. said Tuesday it would close its Little Falls, Minn., aluminum boat manufacturing plant and transfer part of the work to three other plants, including one in Fort Wayne.
Production of its Crestliner and Triton fishboats and pontoons will be integrated into Brunswick plants in Fort Wayne, New York Mills, Minn., and Lebanon, Mo., the company said in a statement.
As many as half the current jobs in Little Falls could transfer to New York Mills or Lebanon, the statement said. It did not say any jobs would transfer to Fort Wayne.
The brands and dealer networks will remain intact, and the change is expected to be transparent to the dealer network, the statement said.
"We have worked hard to institute more flexibility into our boat-making capabilities," said Dustan E. McCoy, Brunswick's chairman and chief executive officer, in the statement.
"This decision does not reflect upon the Little Falls workforce or product, but it is the result of our overarching need to develop a more efficient manufacturing footprint that is appropriate to the marine marketplace, which has been under pressure for several years."
