Barletta set to complete expansion
Barletta Pontoon Boats, located in Bristol, Ind. announced that their new, 146,000 sq. ft. facility is set to go online for production by the end of April 2021. The facility, located on the Barletta Pontoon Boats 37-acre campus, includes 19,000 sq. ft. of office space which will be available for occupation starting in May of 2021.
Barletta Pontoon Boats broke ground in July of 2020 in response to accelerated growth and retail interest in their products. Currently, the entire Barletta lineup is manufactured in their original 110,000 sq. ft. facility. Assembly operations (above deck) will transition to the new facility, while fabrication and welding (below deck) will expand to fill the current production facility. With the increased production footprint, Barletta will have the ability to more than double its output. Plans are to have both facilities at near capacity by Fall 2021.
“Starting a pontoon boat company, especially in a crowded market like the marine industry, is such a monumental task,“ stated Bill Fenech, president, and founder of Barletta Pontoon Boats. “When we sat down as a team to map out this company’s future, where we are today is exactly what we envisioned. A great company, with great people, building great products for boaters across the country. This expansion project speaks to the commitment and dedication of our team to embrace my vision for this company and take it to the next level. Early on, we said that we didn’t want to be the biggest pontoon boat company; we wanted to be the BEST pontoon boat company. We feel that we are on our way.”
“This new capacity to build Barlettas couldn’t come at a better time,” continued Jeff Haradine, vice-president of sales at Barletta Pontoon Boats, “although I would be less than truthful if I didn’t say we would have loved to have this a year ago. Even before the outdoor recreation surge as a result of COVID-19, our dealers and our Barletta buyers were pushing for more product. We set out to build a customer experience like no other in the industry – and the Barletta experience is exactly what today’s boat dealers and boat buyers are looking for.”
“Not only does the new facility allow us to manufacturer more Barlettas, but it also allows us to ‘double-down’ on our quality control processes,” stated Fenech. “Our pre-delivery inspection is a one-of-a-kind operation, and an industry-first; our dealers can attest to that. And, our Barletta owners can attest to the quality of our boats. No one does it like Barletta does it.”
“I could tell you that I’m surprised at the growth this company has seen since we released our first boat to the public in January of 2018,” continued Fenech, “but I’m not. The Barletta team, from top to bottom, is loaded with superstars from around the marine industry. They bring a passion for building a great company to Barletta. We have the best dealer network in the industry, bar none. It was just a matter of time before we made our mark on the industry.”
