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The May edition of MarineNews brought analysis of possible downstream consequences of the U.S. federal gov- ernments ongoing austerity measures, especially where it could impact U.S. boatbuilders with backlogs tied to gov- ernment funding. Susan Buchanans Budget Battles Bump- ing Backlogs? piece brought out the good, bad and poten- tially ugly realities of the new normal in Washington, DC, where lawmakers tussle over spending priorities, while also leaving various casualties in their messy wake. The August announcement that the U.S. Navy would forego as much as $500 million in needed repairs on the ? re-damaged nu- clear submarine USS Miami is ample proof of the impact of such cuts. And yet, many yards, in the face of such news, are doing just ? ne. COAST TO COAST Located on the U.S. West and Gulf Coasts respectively, Kvichak Marine Industries and United States Marine, Inc. are separated by about as much real estate as is possible here in the continental United States. Beyond this physical distance, their individual business plans are probably about as different as the real estate on which their boatyards sit. What they do have in common has more to it than their mutual skillsets in the aluminum boatbuilding trades and goes more towards the collective ability to transcend a per- ceived problem that potentially could affect both bottom lines. It turns out that neither group is particularly worried about sequestration; albeit for different reasons. KVICHAK MARINE INDUSTRIESFounded in 1981, Kvichak Marine Industries quickly established itself as one of the nations most widely rec- ognized aluminum boat builders. The diverse Kvichak portfolio includes workboat platforms that include law enforcement, ? re? ghting, passenger ferries, piloting, and general commercial boats. The Seattle-based workboat builder was a recipient of an ARRA small shipyard grant awarded in August of 2009 which in part allowed funding of a state-of-the-art cutting table and brake. This equip- ment provides KMI the ability to control the schedule of its cut parts being delivered to the production ? oor. Just In Time (JIT?) delivery of the cut & formed parts reduces the use of valuable boatbuilding space in the Companys two main production facilities for parts storage thereby in- MN 61www.marinelink.com MN Sept2013 Layout 50-65.indd 618/29/2013 4:52:49 PM
