Capabilities Mercury uses 15-5 and a proprietary X-7 stainless steel alloys to manufacture all its stainless steel alloy marine propellers. Mercury
sells its propellers under
Mercury and Quicksilver aftermarket brands. The investment casting process at
Mercury remained relatively unchanged after the introduction of the automated dip system in the mid 1990s through today. Various process improvements to the finishing operations have been made over the past few years. These improvements include media- based polishing and robotic grinding operations. And with a facilities- expansion program at the plant slated for completion by year’s end, Mercury will be incorporating new updated processes within the investment casting processes.
Looking Ahead The propeller-manufacturing facility sits on the sprawling campus of Mercury’s world headquarters in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. When complete, the facility’s total footprint will encompass 90,000 square feet. The expansion, which was officially announced during an event, will be at Mercury’s global headquarters in Fond du Lac, and this will allow the
®
company to almost double its current output for stainless steel propellers. In total, Mercury will invest $17 million to expand the propeller facility, which increases the company’s total investment in facilities, equipment, technology and research to more than $1.1 billion since 2008. “The market growth in high-
horsepower four-stroke outboards, plus the market reception to Mercury’s new V6 and V8 outboards, has driven an unprecedented increase in demand for stainless steel propellers,” said Dirk Bjornstad, Mercury Marine Propellers general manager. “This capital expansion will align the propeller business with our increased growth as well as position the business to gain additional market share with new best-in-class propeller designs.” Mercury remains a global leader in outboard and sterndrive propeller production, in both aluminum and stainless-steel, manufacturing more than 400 different types of propellers for a wide variety of boat applications. “Growing our operations in
Fond du Lac not only shows our commitment to our global customers, but our commitment to growth in the community,” said Bjornstad. “This
expansion will also allow us the opportunity to improve on our best-in- class sustainability at the plant. Mercury consistently sets a new benchmark in energy and water conservation and both of those will be a major focus in our manufacturing processes.” Mercury Marine will celebrate its
80th anniversary throughout 2019, reflecting on its strong heritage of innovation and leadership in the marine industry. On January 22, 1939, E. Carl
Kiekhaefer purchased a bankrupt engine manufacturing plant in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Eighty years later, the business that emerged from those modest beginnings, Mercury Marine, is a company with 7,000 global employees that is heralded as the world’s leading manufacturer of marine propulsion systems, as well as marine parts and accessories. Over the years, the team at Mercury Propellers has been a proud member of the ICI, taking advantage of all its technical resources. We extensively researched and
benchmarked
leaders within our industry. We have incorporated what we have learned in technologies presented at the ICI conventions for our expansion plans.
August 2019 ❘ 23
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