I believe some are confused on the Made in USA argument. Before this transaction, consumers had a choice of Motiv, Storm, Roto Grip, 900 Global, Hammer, Track, C300, Ebonite for USA brands and Brunswick, Radical, DV8, LaneMasters, Lord Field for non USA brands. Throw is a few private labels and those are our choices. So many choose the made in America option since we actually have a choice. Can you name a phone that is 100% made in the US? I can't, so we don't have a choice. So consumers are still trying to support Made in the USA while they have a choice. Very soon, Motiv, Storm/RG/900G, will be our only options for Made in the USA when it comes to a cheaply made bowling ball. So many will try to support that while we still have a choice.

https://www.bowlersjournal.com/brunswick-ceo-corey-dykstra-on-ebonite-acquisition/

It is tough for the factory workers who are out of work no doubt. Unfortunately this isn't a made in USA issue it's a bowling popularity and economic issue.The bowling ball market has dropped 20+% while industry pressure to release ever growing number of new balls a year has increased.  So R&D and production costs go up and profitability goes down while the factories aren't operating at full capacity further increasing costs.

Bowling ball prices are relatively set, at all levels of the line the companies are within $10-$15 dollars of each other often at the exact same rate, to my mind there isn't a company that has tried to leverage lower costs to gain market share other than maybe brunswick going on closeout at a much higher rate. It's brutally competitive, how many new releases do people need.

While I get people are frustrated that the balls will be made in Mexico but Brunswick brought certain assets that they thought could add value which were the rights to the brand and some intellectual property. Maybe someone will buy some other select assets of Ebonite including the factory, but my guess is Ebonite had large liabilities that would have to be assumed if Brunswick were to buy the corporation. Why not just buy the aspects you want or have flexibility with rather then unprofitable assets and liabilities including potential debts or legals claims.

Quote from: avabob on November 17, 2019, 06:49:28 PM

Apparently all regional sales reps were let go too.  We had a demo day cancelled for today

Correct. My friend is a regional sales rep and he was in Morgantown WVA and was told to stop and return home....

Quote from: tkkshop on November 17, 2019, 08:32:28 AM

I believe some are confused on the Made in USA argument. Before this transaction, consumers had a choice of Motiv, Storm, Roto Grip, 900 Global, Hammer, Track, C300, Ebonite for USA brands and Brunswick, Radical, DV8, LaneMasters, Lord Field for non USA brands. Throw is a few private labels and those are our choices. So many choose the made in America option since we actually have a choice. Can you name a phone that is 100% made in the US? I can't, so we don't have a choice. So consumers are still trying to support Made in the USA while they have a choice. Very soon, Motiv, Storm/RG/900G, will be our only options for Made in the USA when it comes to a cheaply made bowling ball. So many will try to support that while we still have a choice.

Exactly TKK. Folks, keep it in perspective of the bowling industry and not all industries when these statements are made.

Quote from: big_bg on November 17, 2019, 06:52:42 PM

https://www.bowlersjournal.com/brunswick-ceo-corey-dykstra-on-ebonite-acquisition/

It is tough for the factory workers who are out of work no doubt. Unfortunately this isn't a made in USA issue it's a bowling popularity and economic issue.The bowling ball market has dropped 20+% while industry pressure to release ever growing number of new balls a year has increased.  So R&D and production costs go up and profitability goes down while the factories aren't operating at full capacity further increasing costs.

Bowling ball prices are relatively set, at all levels of the line the companies are within $10-$15 dollars of each other often at the exact same rate, to my mind there isn't a company that has tried to leverage lower costs to gain market share other than maybe brunswick going on closeout at a much higher rate. It's brutally competitive, how many new releases do people need.

While I get people are frustrated that the balls will be made in Mexico but Brunswick brought certain assets that they thought could add value which were the rights to the brand and some intellectual property. Maybe someone will buy some other select assets of Ebonite including the factory, but my guess is Ebonite had large liabilities that would have to be assumed if Brunswick were to buy the corporation. Why not just buy the aspects you want or have flexibility with rather then unprofitable assets and liabilities including potential debts or legals claims.

EBI was a bit aggressive with their release schedule in managing 4 brands. In my opinion the EBI consumers would not have been upset for a more thought out relaxed release schedule like Storm does with Storm/RG. Storm and RG usually release complements across brands and at staggered times. EBI would release overlapping equipment and drop balls in all 4 brands at once. I don’t think the heads at EBI really truly had their heads in the game for years unfortunately.

Quote from: Kegler300800 on November 18, 2019, 11:22:31 AM

It's true...not everything I own is Made In America. However, when I can buy a made In America product instead of a foreign product, I will. Buy American when you can. The job you save may be your own.

Motiv all the way made in the USA.

Most people aren't realizing WHO is exactly making the balls for Brunswick.

Yes, they are made in Mexico. To be specific, Reynosa, Mexico, right across the river from McAllen, Texas, where nearly all of the employees live. So they live in the US, go across the river to the plant, and make the balls there, and return home when the day is done.

So if we are going to talk about American people with American jobs, no-one is looking at the devil in the details here in seeing that Americans are actually working the jobs that people assume that they aren't.

Dykstra's article does have some decent info in it, and may be worth a read for those who are taking things to the extreme as to who is doing what in Mexico.

Additionally, I seem to recall nearly the same thing happening roughly 20 years ago when Ebonite bought Hammer, and the Baltimore, SLC, and St. Louis plants were closed, and all the rage and anger that came from that; EBI came out a lot better on the other side of that. So while I get the vent and anger now, it may be bette to sit back and wait to see what happens.

That said, I do feel for those in Hopkinsville, and the regional reps.

BL.

Quote from: Kegler300800 on November 18, 2019, 11:22:31 AM

It's true...not everything I own is Made In America. However, when I can buy a made In America product instead of a foreign product, I will. Buy American when you can. The job you save may be your own.

Motiv all the way made in the USA.

Most people aren't realizing WHO is exactly making the balls for Brunswick.

Yes, they are made in Mexico. To be specific, Reynosa, Mexico, right across the river from McAllen, Texas, where nearly all of the employees live. So they live in the US, go across the river to the plant, and make the balls there, and return home when the day is done.

So if we are going to talk about American people with American jobs, no-one is looking at the devil in the details here in seeing that Americans are actually working the jobs that people assume that they aren't.

Dykstra's article does have some decent info in it, and may be worth a read for those who are taking things to the extreme as to who is doing what in Mexico.

Additionally, I seem to recall nearly the same thing happening roughly 20 years ago when Ebonite bought Hammer, and the Baltimore, SLC, and St. Louis plants were closed, and all the rage and anger that came from that; EBI came out a lot better on the other side of that. So while I get the vent and anger now, it may be bette to sit back and wait to see what happens.

That said, I do feel for those in Hopkinsville, and the regional reps.

BL.

"Brunswick's got well over 200 people that are in the U.S., and we're going to continually expand upon that number," Dykstra said, a number that includes some who work at the Mexico plant, which is located just across the border from McAllen, Texas — employees living in McAllen but commuting to Mexico each day to work there.

Brunswick completed its exit from the bowling business in May 2015 with the sale of its bowling equipment and products division to BlueArc Capital Management, a private investment firm based in Atlanta, GA. BlueArc completed the acquisition with investments from Gladstone Investment Corporation, a publicly traded business development company in McLean, Virginia, and Capitala Finance Corp., a business development company in Charlotte, North Carolina. BlueArc continues to produce bowling balls under the Brunswick and DV8 brand names.

Quote from: milorafferty on November 18, 2019, 06:04:32 PM

Quote from: bradl on November 18, 2019, 11:48:18 AM

Quote from: Kegler300800 on November 18, 2019, 11:22:31 AM

It's true...not everything I own is Made In America. However, when I can buy a made In America product instead of a foreign product, I will. Buy American when you can. The job you save may be your own.

Motiv all the way made in the USA.

Most people aren't realizing WHO is exactly making the balls for Brunswick.

Yes, they are made in Mexico. To be specific, Reynosa, Mexico, right across the river from McAllen, Texas, where nearly all of the employees live. So they live in the US, go across the river to the plant, and make the balls there, and return home when the day is done.

So if we are going to talk about American people with American jobs, no-one is looking at the devil in the details here in seeing that Americans are actually working the jobs that people assume that they aren't.

Dykstra's article does have some decent info in it, and may be worth a read for those who are taking things to the extreme as to who is doing what in Mexico.

Additionally, I seem to recall nearly the same thing happening roughly 20 years ago when Ebonite bought Hammer, and the Baltimore, SLC, and St. Louis plants were closed, and all the rage and anger that came from that; EBI came out a lot better on the other side of that. So while I get the vent and anger now, it may be bette to sit back and wait to see what happens.

That said, I do feel for those in Hopkinsville, and the regional reps.

BL.

Is there a source for this information? I could be wrong, but it seems highly unlikely that a country would allow non-citizens to cross the border daily to do manufacturing work their own citizens could do.

I doubt that manufacturing bowling balls would be considered highly skilled labor.

The BJ article quoted above. Specifically:

Quote

Those employees Dykstra is open to bringing aboard from EBI would fill U.S-based positions.

"Brunswick's got well over 200 people that are in the U.S., and we're going to continually expand upon that number," Dykstra said, a number that includes some who work at the Mexico plant, which is located just across the border from McAllen, Texas — employees living in McAllen but commuting to Mexico each day to work there.

So the workers there are Yanks, commuting to Mexico to work.

BL.