Mercury has good Q1

   Good news for Brunswick Corporation and Mercury Marine, which has a plant in St. Cloud.
   The Brunswick first quarter report showed that Mercury Marine reported net sales of $445.7 million in the first quarter of 2010 — up 30 percent from $343.9 million in the first quarter of last year. As a whole,
    Mercury posted operating earnings of $26.5 million, including restructuring charges of $2.4 million. Last year, Mercury had an operating loss of $50.6 million, which included $11.7 million in restructuring charges.
    "All the changes and actions Brunswick and Mercury have taken in the last year are resulting in positive steps forward," said Mercury Marine spokesperson Steve Fleming.
    Mercury's manufacturing facilities ramped up production during the quarter in response to customer inventory requirements, the report said. The report said higher sales, increased fixed-cost absorption, lower restructuring charges, fixed-cost reductions, as well as reduced pension and lower bad debt expense had a positive effect on operating earnings during the quarter.
  The Marine Engine segment, consisting of the Mercury Marine Group, including the marine service, parts and accessories businesses, reported net sales of $445.7 million in the first quarter of 2010, up 30 percent from $343.9 million in the year-ago first quarter. International sales, which represented 47 percent of total segment sales in the quarter, increased by 37 percent. For the quarter, the Marine Engine segment reported operating earnings of $26.5 million, including restructuring charges of $2.4 million. This compares with an operating loss of $50.6 million in the year-ago quarter, which included $11.7 million of restructuring charges.

  Sales were higher across all Marine Engine's main operations, except for low single-digit declines in the segment's domestic marine service, parts and accessories businesses, which represented 22 percent of total segment sales in the quarter. The segment's sterndrive engine business experienced the greatest level of growth.
  Mercury's manufacturing facilities ramped up production during the quarter in response to customer inventory requirements. Higher sales, increased fixed-cost absorption, lower restructuring charges, fixed-cost reductions, as well as reduced pension and lower bad debt expense, had a positive effect on operating earnings during the quarter.