FOND DU LAC, Wisc. (April 5, 2018) – Mercury Marine has officially broken ground on a new expansion at its global headquarters in Fond du Lac. The two-story NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) facility’s first chamber, and the office space is scheduled to be completed by October 2018 while the second chamber is targeted to be completed by the end of the year. The $10 million investment will add close to 20,000 additional square feet to the more than 2.5 million square-foot campus. With this latest expansion, Mercury has now invested more than $800 million since 2009 in expansion and R&D with most of the work again being outsourced to Wisconsin-based companies. Wednesday's event was attended by members of the Mercury team, community leaders and many of the partners who are working on the project.
NVH is the engineering practice of studying noise, vibration and harshness characteristics; these are integral to the boating experience, ensuring the quietest and most peaceful engine for the consumer. The new technical center will contain two marine-specific hemi-anechoic chambers, structural dynamic testing bays, listening rooms, offices and workspaces.
Further proof of Mercury’s commitment to NVH leadership is the company’s all-new 3.4L V6 200hp FourStroke outboard engine, which was launched in February 2018, is 15-30% quieter with 50% less vibration than the leading 200hp four-stroke competitor.
“One of the many things that sets Mercury apart from the competition is our investment and commitment to ensuring that every engine we manufacture is the quietest and most reliable engine in the world,” said Tim Reid, Mercury Marine vice president of product development and engineering. “This new facility will allow us to continue to support NVH development and allow our engineers to study every noise, movement and performance indicator on every engine that enters the market. In the end, our consumers will benefit from a fantastic experience with their Mercury engine.”
The new facility will be Mercury’s third major expansion in the last 18 months. In early 2017, Mercury officially opened its new $24 million EDP paint plant and in April 2017, Mercury commissioned a 4,500-ton high-pressure die-cast machine, the largest in North America.
When completed, the two‑story, nearly 20,000 square-foot NVH Technical Center will contain:
Two marine-specific hemi-anechoic chambers designed to provide a consistent test environment that mimics being out on the open water without any outside noises present;
Structural dynamic testing bays for the measurement and analysis of the NVH properties of engines, components, and full configurations on boats of up to 45 feet in length and up to 12 feet in beam;
A listening (playback) room; and
Offices and workspaces for NVH engineers and technicians.
“We made a commitment to the community and the marine industry in 2009 that we would grow and invest in the company and we have more than exceeded those commitments,” said Reid. “We will continue to delight boaters with world-class engines and continue to invest in the business. This new facility is another example of our commitment to building the most refined and reliable engines in the marine industry.”
Read more: Mercury Marine invests close to $10 million for new NVH facility
FOND DU LAC, Wisc. (April 3, 2018) – Mercury Marine, the world leader in marine propulsion, has launched Vessel Config, a new software management configurator for boatbuilders and dealers. Vessel Config will guide these direct customers through the configuration process to ensure they are ordering the right Mercury controls and rigging products for their boats.
“Vessel Config fundamentally changes the way customers interact with Mercury,” said John Buelow, Mercury Marine vice president of global category management. “It turns boatbuilders and dealers into virtual engineers, giving them the ability to configure complex systems without assistance.”
With Vessel Config, boat builders and dealers now can prepare the right boat/engine for their customer with ease. Vessel Config will guide our customers through the configuration process to ensure they are ordering the right Mercury products for their boats and in the end, providing an invaluable service for the end consumer.
“Our customers have been ordering parts the same way for the past 30 years and its time for a change,” Buelow said. “This technology will fundamentally change the way we interact with our customers and how our customers interact with the end consumer. Customers have been asking for a better way to select parts and this is the first tool that easily explains what parts to order with what engine.”
Products included in Vessel Config include most of the controls and rigging portfolio of parts for new boats or re-power applications. Engine families that can be configured are FourStroke 40-225hp outboards, Verado L6 200-400R outboards, 115-150hp Pro XS and MerCruiser 4.5L/6.2L/8.2L sterndrives, inboards and tow sports engines.
Read more: Mercury Marine launches new Vessel Config technology
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