Springfield Marine expands U.S. manufacturing footprint

Springfield Marine has announced the expansion of its U.S.-based manufacturing capabilities and facilities. In August, the company will break ground on a 23,000 square foot addition to its Nixa facility, which will include an advanced finished goods warehouse, providing 50 percent more storage capacity.

This addition will also allow 35,000 square feet within its existing facility to be used for expanded metal fabrication and assembly. Springfield Marine expects to be operational in the new space by late 2025 and to increase its headcount by 20 to 30 percent.

“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 METS,” said 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 this expansion of our U.S. manufacturing footprint and the addition of significant new manufacturing capabilities, we will bring innovation and efficiency to our manufacturing operations to lower costs.”

The company stated: “With the 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. This investment, one of many responses that Springfield Marine is undertaking, will drive significant cost reductions through the re-shoring of a notable number of our product line, allowing Springfield Marine to eliminate the impact of the many tariffs affecting our products.

“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 aluminum and steel, have added significant cost, and supplying the U.S. market from China is no longer cost-effective. We will continue to operate our facility in China and service all non-U.S. markets from that facility.”