EdgeWater Boats, seeing its third successiveyear of double-digit growth, has expanded its Florida facility by 22,000 square feet and has beefed up its workforce by 20 percent to meet growing demand.
The production space is now 62,000 square feet and the company transitioned production lines during March and April, said Peter Orlando, sales and marketing director for the company.
At the same time, EdgeWater increased the number of builders in its factory from 98 to 120, Orlando said.
“Our segment is, knock on wood, doing quite well,” Orlando told Trade Only Today. “The outboard center consoles and dual consoles are the segments that are growing, and we’re lucky that we have a good reputation and brand. We also are lucky to have a great dealer network that have been with us and have helped drive that growth.”
The company’s growth last year came largely from the South, Orlando said. EdgeWater has grown its Florida network during the past few years, and he said that is starting to pay dividends.
“I think there’s been momentum the last three years. I think most of the builders in our segment, outboards in general, are seeing tremendous growth in the last three years,” Orlando said.
The additional space allows the company to increase capacity for its boats, including the 280 CC and the 280 CX, and through the 368 CC.
“The new models, in particular, are driving everything,” Orlando said. “We came out with two new models last year. The 368 CC is doing really well, beyond what we expected. And the 248 CX is really driving our median-line business.”
Orlando believes builders have been a bit more conservative about ramping up capacity post-recession and said it will take some time for the company to feel the benefit of its recent increase.
“I think everyone’s being more cautious in how they play the growth up,” Orlando said. “Our growth has been tremendous because we have a tremendous dealer network. But a lot of businesses have kept a more conservative approach in how they’ve managed the upswing.”
