Boating Industry Sets Sail for Growth

With spring comes the thought of warm breezes, ripples on water and boats being launched. After such a long, snowy winter, many people are eagerly looking forward to hitting the water for boat season. The boating industry has a tremendous economic impact on the industrial sector of the United States. The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) offers up some big numbers that relate to employment, recreation and industry overall.

According to NMMA, traditional powerboat wholesale shipments were up 5.8% in 2013, with sales dollars up even higher, at 9.2%. Prices among different boat categories varied, with average increases ranging from 4.2% to 27.7%. The South Atlantic region, running from Delaware to Florida, led the charge with 8.9% growth in Year over Year sales.

Liftomatic proudly works with many companies in the boating industry to improve competitiveness, innovation and productivity of material handling routines. Many of the raw materials used in boat manufacturing are transported and stored in 55-gallon drums. Gel Coat for fiberglass hull production, lubricants and hydraulic fluids for power steering systems, engine components, fasteners, paints and coatings and myriad other products are routinely handled in drums. We work closely with all of our customers to help improve operations and increase return on investment.

Our customer base continually surprises us with upbeat statistics like those mentioned above. Just imagine – 12.75 MILLION boats were registered in the United States alone as of 2011. The sheer size of the market, along with all of the suppliers to the industry, represents a flotilla of good customers and prospects. You keep building ‘em, and we’ll keep optimizing your supply chain and material handling needs in order to continually keep the ship afloat!