BRP eliminates 387 jobs in Sturtevant
Canadian manufacturer discontinues outboards
BRP, the Canadian manufacturer of Evinrude outboard engines, says it’s eliminating 387 jobs at its factory in Sturtevant as the company gets out of the marine engine business.
“Our outboard engines business has been greatly impacted by Covid-19, obliging us to discontinue production of our outboard motors immediately. This business segment had already been facing some challenges and the impact from the current context has forced our hand,” BRP president and CEO José Boisjoli, said in a statement.
BRP has signed a deal with Fond du Lac-based Mercury Marine to buy engines for its boat brands including Alumacraft, which has operations in Minnesota.
In a notice filed with Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development, the company said it would eliminate 387 jobs in Sturtevant, including employees currently on furlough. Some workers could be recalled but will lose their jobs permanently over the next four months, according to the company.
BRP said it would repurpose its Sturtevant plant for “new projects,” but did not provide any further information.
The company, previously known as Bombardier Recreational Products, bought the Johnson and Evinrude brands in 2001 from bankrupt Outboard Marine Corp. That company once had plants in Milwaukee and Waukegan, Illinois, with a combined 800 employees.
BRP made Sturtevant its world headquarters for the Evinrude brand, which was founded by Ole Evinrude in Milwaukee in 1907.
In 2012, the company completed a $15 million renovation at its plant in Sturtevant, including the move of 136 jobs from an engineering and product development center in Waukegan.