Long before the word superyacht found its way into the nautical parlance, Burger Boat Company, founded in 1863, was building quality vessels. Through the years, the American shipyard has built a wide variety of custom yachts and megayachts, from contemporary tridecks to the authentic replica of a fantail cruiser in the persona of Sycara IV, and more. Burger continues its custom focus today, and has added other services to the mix. In this Leadership Series interview, Jim Ruffolo, at Burger’s helm, shares insight into those services, how the builder’s storied past is still a big part of its present and future, and what else it’s doing to stay at the forefront of the megayacht industry.
MYN: How is Burger coping with MLC 2006?
JR: Burger closely followed the MLC ratification process, and we have incorporated the necessary requirements into the various designs being developed for our clients. Burger remains proactive in assuring the designs we presents integrate the most current and pending international requirements.
MYN: After the 2008 slump, how do you see the state of the global industry? What did Burger do to get through it?
JR: The economic downturn made for a very competitive marketplace, and new orders have been more difficult to secure. Over the past 12 months, however, Burger has seen an increase in new construction activity, and we expect this to continue during the later part of 2013 into 2014.
Burger, while still focused on custom yacht design and construction, evaluated its core competencies, and we made a strategic decision to return to our roots by adding commercial-vessel construction to the product mix. In the past few years, Burger has built a research vessel for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, replacing their 1937 Burger, and an all-welded-steel passenger vessel for use in Chicago. Burger continues to offer and provide yacht-repair services as well as welded fabrications, mechanical assemblies, and joinery work to firms in a variety of industries.
Burger continues to invest heavily in education, expand our workforce cross-training programs, and strengthen our on-going strategy of continuous improvement and waste elimination.
MYN: How is the U.S. industry bearing in relation to the rest of the world?
JR: It is Burger’s belief that the USA provides economic leadership and direction. We also strongly believe that American clients feel a loyalty and preference to build with an American shipyard. Clients from within the USA and other countries often state that building in the USA offers more financial security. With continuing economic uncertainties in different parts of the world, many potential clients feel that investing in the USA is a smarter proposition.
MYN: One of Burger’s unique selling propositions is its history, dating back to 1863, but are clients and potential clients more focused on the past decades?
JR: Burger’s history, its legacy, and its brand are just a few of its unique selling propositions. Burger has always built vessels designed to meet the specific requirements of its owners. As a result, Burger has constructed a wide variety of vessels in its 150-year history, including: custom yachts, car ferries, cargo ships, fishing vessels, research platforms, passenger vessels, and military craft. While clients who approach Burger may not always be fully aware of the actual product mix Burger has built since its founding, they respect its reputation for quality, reliability, and high value.
MYN: Burger implemented Lean a few years ago, with dramatic increases in efficiencies; are you still using Lean?
JR: Burger’s Lean Journey, which began in early 2007, absolutely continues today. In fact, it has reached the “flywheel stage,” where Lean is embraced by all and is incorporated into every aspect of day-to-day administration and operations. Lean is an integral part of Burger’s culture, and each activity is evaluated and improved upon continuously. Burger’s Lean practices provide an efficient, effective, and fun design/build process as well as exceptional customer service and support. Burger has improved significantly over the past several years. As we all know, doing so was absolutely imperative in order to compete in these new and challenging economic times.
A recent customer experienced the positive benefits of Burger’s Lean Practices. This customer needed a 98-foot, double deck, steel passenger vessel constructed with a very aggressive delivery requirement. The Burger team utilized the same Lean practices we apply to yacht projects to best determine how to build this vessel on time and on budget. As a result, the vessel was delivered to the client one week ahead of schedule, just 4½ months after the first piece of steel arrived in the shipyard.
MYN: Where is Burger concentrating its marketing efforts? Do you see any accelerating interest from Brazil, India, or China?
JR: Burger’s primary marketing efforts include North and South American and Europe. These efforts include promoting the Burger brand to all, including the world’s top designers and brokers. As a result of Burger’s long-term strategy of working closely with designers and brokers, we have seen a significant increase in new-construction inquiries from Mexico, South America, and the Australasia region.
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