Microsoft makes an example of Malibu

MERCED, Calif. – Malibu Boats utilizes business practices to aid the accuracy and speed of its production process and Microsoft recently recognized the boatbuilder’s efforts, as many of Malibu’s practices are rooted in Microsoft business tools, Malibu said in a statement yesterday. Microsoft chose to highlight Malibu as an example for “Microsoft People Ready Business” in a video case study.

“So many things had always been written by hand,” said Paul Singer, Malibu Boats vice president of sales and marketing. “We relied on faxes and on the institutional memories of our employees, like our production coordinator, who held a lot of information in her head. If she was gone, we were often stuck. We had fewer boats, fewer dealers, fewer employees, and for a long time, this system worked. But then we started to outgrow it, and needed a better system. Lucky for us, Microsoft had a better system.”

Microsoft Sharepoint and Dynamics products enabled Malibu Boats to share information throughout its internal and external networks. The solutions improved the content and visibility of the company’s database, allowing dealers to order boats online and enabling greater communication and productivity among employees.

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