Palmer Johnson to set up satellite facilities in Michigan and Wisconsin
By IBI Magazine
Palmer Johnson Yachts said it will be expanding its operations beyond its Sturgeon Bay facilities into other parts of Wisconsin and neighboring Michigan. The company said that it has quadrupled production in the past three years and that its current facilities are operating at maximum capacity. But the increased demand has created the need for more skilled workers. "Palmer Johnson has built its reputation as one of the leading large yacht brands on build quality," Kelsey said in a statement. "We simply cannot afford to let this slip." Kelsey told the Green Bay Press Gazette that Palmer Johnson has not only expanded its manufacturing facilities in Sturgeon Bay, but has also instituted new manufacturing techniques. "We have invested significantly in designing and engineering a new production methodology based on a modular concept, which allows us to build large components of a yacht off-site," Kelsey said. The strategy would call for the production of hull and superstructure modules in areas of Wisconsin and Michigan where there are pools of laborers with appropriate skills like aluminum welders, pipe fitters and marine electricians. The strategy, said Kelsey, was to increase "throughput" at the Sturgeon Bay yard by using it as an assembly plant for the modules produced at the satellite facilities. Palmer Johnson has also announced plans to build a new facility at the former VT shipyard in Southampton, UK, to service the European market. Kelsey did not return a call by presstime seeking comment.
(3 November 2008)
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