Briggs & Stratton to sell most of its products business

[PTmowerMech]

Briggs & Stratton to sell most of its products business
Focusing on engines and power application instead

Wauwatosa-based Briggs & Stratton Corp. plans to sell the majority of its products businesses to shift the company’s focus toward the application of power.
Briggs reported net sales of $1.84 billion last year, with the products segment accounting for $932 million. The company said its new focus would be on four areas with about $1 billion in combined revenue.
The areas of focus will include Briggs & Stratton residential engines, Vanguard commercial engines, standby power generation and the company’s new Vanguard commercial battery systems.
Briggs said it plans to.............

 

[tom3]

Briggs plans to .....shift all production to China?

 

[logert gogert]

Briggs plans to .....shift all production to China?

 

[StarTech]

Hopefully it not a result of the major parts problem they created last year. I had parts on back order for a long time. I even had one engine's heads to go NLA then to a pair and finally when a I got the one head that I was needing it was double in price. And now Power Distributor is trying to sell a 29 usd fuel bowl for 99 usd. Luckily I got in three of them before the price jack up.

Yes they planning or having to get get rid of the premier lawn and garden and turf care equipment sold under the Ferris®, Billy Goat®, Simplicity®, Snapper®, and Snapper Pro® brands. But I kinda doubt they are going to shift everything to China but a lot of it is already made in China. That might explain why recently they start posting manuals and IPLs in Chinese on the Power Portal site.

By selling the lines it is going to create a mess for us techs yet again. I still dealing with the Murray Ohio failure here as multiple OEMs brought out the line with Briggs owning and licensing out the rights to make the equipment under the Murray name. Boy my neighbor is really going like to heard that they are planning dumping the Snapper line, he just brought a Snapper ZTR last Spring. I just hope who buys the above lines provides support for the older products. But it could like many products that had sold to others where we have no older products support but they want us to recommend them still.

Personally it looks like Briggs is a failing company due to mismanagement but is just my opinion. As we all know it all about making a huge profit at the expense of their reputation that previous management manage to build with the public.

Here is the March 6, 2020 press release.

Briggs 3/20/2020 Investors News

PT if have access to other press releases please post those links as I would like to read them too as this does affect my business as I need to what products I should now be recommending to my current customers.

 

[ILENGINE]

The Brute products, Murray, and the Snapper Walmart products have been farmed out for years. I suspect the pressure washers and portable generators will be picked up by Generac. Murray will go to MTD, and Brute tillers will be Earthquake which they make, service, and warranty them now. I don't know what will happen to the Simplicity group. I suspect either MTD or Husqvarna. But Toro has been active lately so that is also possible,even though the Toro consumer products has been farmed to MTD for several years now.

Sounds like Briggs is trying to avoid bankruptcy, Further reading kind of hints that the Sears bankruptcy may of tanked Briggs.

 

[StarTech]

Possible. Look at what Walmart did to Murray Ohio when they drop Murray mowers. When this happen it took out Tecumseh too. Murray mower got pickup but Tecumseh didn't; although, their transmission division got snag by Husqvarna. Still can't get parts for the old Tecumseh Peerless transaxles.

I got a LTH2000 in the shop now that I got fabricate an alignment jig for since the jig is no longer available. But I think got out of the repair job for now. It has a froze up disengagement shaft, easy fix once I get to it without parts other then an oring.

 

[ILENGINE]

I am not sure Walmart dropped Murray as much as the Murray bankruptcy and subsequent purchase by Briggs, and then as part of the agreement couldn't use the Murray name for 5 years. Which is how we ended up with the Brute name. Another side effect of the Murray purchase by Briggs was MTD stopped using Briggs engines on their products for a period and started the Chinese engine import for their products but also upped the use of Tecumseh until their own demise in 2010. Briggs were used on Murray and Snapper at Walmart as part of the license agreement.

 

[PTmowerMech]

I didn't read as much into as you guys did. Seems more of a downsize thing to me. Getting stuff off their plate, sort of speak.

 

[StarTech]

Well I have been through one corporate merger (buyout) when Burroughs off loaded its financial division. What a nightmare I hired into. When SRC got things under control they layoff over 300 field service techs that only 3 months earlier signed non compete contracts.

I also have seen several corporations just completely under when they started downsizing. Kinda learned to very wary when one start off loading assets.

 

[ILENGINE]

I have been through the Murray bankruptcy, the bankruptcy and selloff of McCulloch, and strategic reintroduction with MTD before the final purchase and demise by Husqvarna. The Dolmar to Makita changeover and all that involved. The purchase of Troybilt by MTD and the splitting up of Gardenway which some of it was purchased by Murray, and you know that story. The purchase of Dr Power by Generac. And can't forget the demise of Tecumseh and peerless gear and transmission.