Springfield Marine is to expand its US-based manufacturing capabilities and facilities with the addition of a new 23,000sqft warehouse at its Nixa, Missouri, base.
The company, which specialises in manufacturing seats, seat pedestals and components will break ground on the new facility in August 2025, with plans to have the new space operational by late 2025.
The new facility will be used as an advanced finished goods warehouse that will provide the company with 50% more storage capacity.
The addition will also free up 35,000ft within the company’s existing facility for expanded metal fabrication and assembly.
Manufacturing
Currently the company carries out much of its manufacturing in China.
Once operational it is anticipated that the company’s headcount will be increased by 20-30%.
“Our mission is to ‘Make Boating Better’ and for the last two years, we have focused on driving innovation on the product side, which will be evidenced by the numerous new products on display this year at IBEX and Metstrade,” explained Mike Folkerts, president of Springfield Marine.
“With tariffs driving the cost of boating upwards, we feel the best way to Make Boating Better is to ensure that boating remains affordable.
With tariffs driving the cost of boating upwards, we feel the best way to Make Boating Better is to ensure that boating remains affordable.
Mike Folkerts
“With this expansion of our US manufacturing footprint and the addition of significant new manufacturing capabilities, we will bring innovation and efficiency to our manufacturing operations to lower costs.”
And Mike added that with the US tariff impacts on Chinese manufactured products reaching 95% or more, the marine industry is seeing cost increases that, if not responded to, will drive boaters out of the market strictly due to cost.
The investment in the new facility is anticipated to drive cost reductions through the re-shoring of a number of its product line, allowing Springfield Marine to eliminate the impact of the many tariffs affecting its products.
Low-cost leader
“Our China manufacturing facility and its team have, for the last three decades, positioned Springfield Marine as the high quality, low-cost leader in both the marine seating and seat hardware categories worldwide,” said Caroline Carnahan, owner of Springfield Marine.
“The current tariff war, and particularly the 232 tariffs on aluminium and steel, have added significant cost and supplying the US market from China is no longer cost effective.”
The company is planning to continue to operate its facility in China to service all non-US markets.
