KCS International Inc., the parent company of Cruisers Yachts and Rampage Sport Fishing Yachts, hired back 100 of its employees to work on new orders for both brands and to help complete the 2011 prototype of the 470 Cruisers Yachts Sports Coupe.
“Although the past year has been pretty rough on the boating industry, our unwavering commitment to the Cruisers Yachts and Rampage Sport Fishing Yachts brands is what has carried us through these tough economic times,” said Mark Pedersen, president of KCS International, in a statement.
“Our future looks quite bright as our engineering and marketing departments continue to explore every opportunity to grow both brands and to re-establish ourselves as one of the world’s leading yacht manufacturers,” he added.
Since November, employees have been brought back to finish production on several assembly lines, as well as start production on a number of newly ordered Cruisers Yachts and Rampage Sport Fishing Yachts.
The first model 34 Rampage built with a Volvo Penta IPS engine featuring the new Dynamic Positioning System is currently under construction at the Oconto, Wis., facility.
“After the 470 Cruisers Yachts Sports Coupe prototype debuts this summer, I fully expect that we will be in an even better position to bring back more of our longtime employees,” said Pedersen.
Pedersen said he believes the Oconto facility could be fully operational by the fall.
