Buying group to go exclusive
KENNESAW, Ga. — Yamaha Marine Group has come to an agreement with 23-member buying group Independent Boatbuilders, Inc. (IBBI) that will ultimately become exclusive, the outboard engine builder reported in a statement today.
The agreement is “aimed at providing advantages for independent boat builders that were once reserved only for the boat brands of giant corporations,” according to Yamaha.
When asked about IBBI members’ decision to no longer offer their outboard-powered boat customers a choice of engine – often considered an advantage for independent boat builders – Yamaha Marine Group President Phil Dyskow said this:
“Other than Mercury, Yamaha is clearly the largest selling outboard brand in the market both at wholesale and at retail. There is a strong awareness and customer preference for Yamaha based on our reputation for quality and reliability. We have the most complete line-up of products of any of the other competing brands including four-strokes, direct injection two-strokes and value-oriented carbureted two-strokes. Yamaha business scale has many other advantages including a large dealer network, diverse training programs, strong support services and very complete market information capability that IBBI members can benefit from. Clearly IBBI members believe that aligning with Yamaha has many benefits that far outweigh alternative choices.”
The long-term agreement with IBBI specifies that its members using outboard power will transition to an exclusive relationship with Yamaha.
“Through IBBI, we will offer our boat builder partners services such as access to Yamaha engineering expertise, CSI survey assistance, online warranty registration and other tools,” said Dyskow. “We will literally look for opportunities to share our resources in ways that will increase the competitive capability of our independent boat builder partners.”
“IBBI’s job is to deliver member value,” said Tom Broy, IBBI president. “Yamaha’s orientation, which is to do business through partnership, fits perfectly with IBBI’s goals. IBBI uses the same criteria for selecting suppliers as it does for accepting members: a reputation for top quality and service, for financial stability and integrity, and for industry leadership.”
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