Boating Gives Back: Brunswick Helps Workers On The Frontlines Fight Against COVID-19
Today's member spotlight features Brunswick Corporation, which has launched a multi-faceted, global response to support the fight against this pandemic. Brunswick’s Private Foundation has donated $50,000 to the Red Cross and $10,000 to the Salvation Army, as well as manufacturing personal protective equipment (PPE) that it is donating to hospitals and first responders in the communities where Brunswick businesses are located. In addition, the company has raised more than $10,000 to date in employee donations to the Red Cross Coronavirus Campaign, all of which will be matched by Brunswick.
Brunswick’s Boat Group shipped 15,000 masks to first responders and hospitals in three different communities where they have manufacturing facilities. In addition, Brunswick Boat Group is utilizing its upholstery manufacturing capability to manufacture additional masks for employees at its Integrated Manufacturing Center in Florida as well as at its Sea Ray Tellico plant in Tennessee, Thunder Jet facility in Washington, Boston Whaler and soon its Reynosa facility. By manufacturing masks for its employees, Brunswick Boat Group is ensuring that they are not taking any masks out of the supply chain that are needed for first responders.
Also, Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick, donated over 11,000 masks to hospitals and emergency responders near its headquarters in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin.
Many of the Power Products businesses are also stepping up. Marinco is producing electrical equipment used in mobile hospitals and temporary emergency treatment centers. Blue Sea Systems is designing and producing arm-actuated door handles to eliminate hand touching at their Bellingham, Washington facility and Mastervolt is providing power systems to emergency vehicles and field hospitals.
Elsewhere, employees at Mercury Racing and Power Products are utilizing their 3D printing capabilities to make masks for hospitals in Wisconsin while employees at the Company’s Whale facilities in Northern Ireland are ramping up capacity to manufacture pumps for hand sanitizers.
"As a leading marine manufacturing company and stewards of the communities in which we live and work, it is incumbent on us to do what we can to support the first responders who we rely on for the health and safety of our employees, their families and our communities," said Lee Gordon, director of marine communications and public relations at Brunswick Corporation.
The company continues to seek additional opportunities to manufacture additional products with active programs underway to produce additional masks, face shield parts, and components for ventilators.
The company has proactively taken actions as part of our overall business continuity to ensure the safety of their employees as they return to work. As such, Brunswick is providing them with PPE, temperature screening before work and maintaining social distancing across all of its global operations.
As a longtime leader in the marine manufacturing industry, Brunswick offered advice for other companies seeking to give back during this time.
"We are all in this together and anything you can do is a good thing," Gordon said. "In this time of need, there are countless ways to make a difference and give back to the communities that support us”.
This is part of NMMA’s new series of member stories that highlight how the boating industry is stepping up to the plate during the COVID-19 pandemic. If your company has a goodwill story to share, please submit it to NMMA’s COVID-19 task force at [email protected].
If your company is looking for guidance on manufacturing and/or donating PPEs please visit our Ways to Help page that offers vetted sources and guidelines from FEMA and the FDA to the American Hospital Association, which helps partner companies with hospitals in need and much more.