Brunswick: Steel Manufacturing In Muskegon, Michigan

Brunswick Steel is a company that provides custom steel products, with a focus on quick delivery and high-quality service. They have experience producing a range of shapes and sizes and offer competitive pricing.

Brunswick Bowling & Billiards, on the other hand, was a business segment of Brunswick Corporation, which had a significant presence in Muskegon, Michigan. The company's history in Muskegon dates back to 1906 when it established a manufacturing plant in the city. This plant played a crucial role in producing bowling equipment, including bowling balls, pins, and pinsetting machinery. However, in 2006, Brunswick closed its Muskegon plant, relocating bowling ball production to Mexico and pinsetting equipment manufacturing to Hungary.

Brunswick Bowling & Billiards was established in 1845

John Brunswick's first billiard table was built in 1845 at his woodworking shop in Cincinnati for a successful Chicago meatpacker. The popularity of billiards grew quickly, and by the late 1860s, the US billiards market was dominated by Brunswick's firm and two others. Over the years, the company expanded and merged with competitors, including Julius Balke's Cincinnati-based Great Western Billiard Manufactory, eventually becoming the largest billiards equipment manufacturer in the world.

In addition to billiards, Brunswick also ventured into bowling equipment manufacturing in the 1880s. The company opened a large manufacturing plant in Muskegon, Michigan, in 1906, which became the cornerstone of its operations, producing wooden lanes, bowling balls, and pins.

Today, Brunswick Bowling & Billiards is a global corporation with diverse business segments, including bowling equipment and products, bowling centers, and billiards. The company has contributed significantly to the growth of bowling globally and continues to be a leader in the industry.

Brunswick moved to Muskegon in 1906

In 1906, Brunswick moved its bowling and billiards manufacturing operations to Muskegon, Michigan. The company was lured to Muskegon by the community's famed Industrial Fund, which offered Brunswick a $62,000 grant towards the construction of a new plant. This move was part of the economic development in the post-Lumber Era, as community leaders sought industries to replace the wealth from lumbering, which had fled West Michigan by the turn of the century.

The Muskegon plant became the cornerstone of the firm's manufacturing, producing wooden lanes, bowling balls, and bowling pins. The revolutionary $20 Mineralite (hard rubber) bowling ball was also developed and produced at this plant. The plant grew to over one million square feet by the 1940s and was instrumental in making bowling a national rage. During World War II, United Service Organizations (USO) centres and military bases purchased bowling equipment, leading to more than 3,000 bowling lanes being installed at military bases by 1945.

In 2005, Brunswick moved its bowling ball production to Reynosa, Mexico, and in 2006, it closed the Muskegon plant. The last bowling ball was made in Muskegon in 2006, and ball manufacturing was moved to Mexico, where it remains today. Despite the closure of the plant, Brunswick has maintained a presence in Muskegon, with about 175 workers still employed in the city as of 2013.

The company was lured to Muskegon through the community's famed Industrial Fund

The famed Industrial Fund of Muskegon, Michigan, was established by community leaders to attract industries to the area and replace the wealth lost from the post-Lumber Era. The fund lured Brunswick to Muskegon in 1906 with an offer of $62,000 towards the construction of a new plant in exchange for the promise of industrial jobs.

The Industrial Fund was not the only incentive for Brunswick to move to Muskegon. One-time Muskegon lumber baron Thomas Hume was also instrumental in bringing the company to the area.

The move was part of Brunswick's expansion into the bowling business, which was spearheaded by Moses Bensinger, son-in-law of founder John Brunswick. In 1906, Bensinger opened a large manufacturing plant in Muskegon, which became the cornerstone of the company's operations. The plant produced wooden lanes, bowling balls, and pins, as well as the revolutionary $20 Mineralite (hard rubber) bowling ball.

By the 1940s, the Muskegon plant had grown to over one million square feet. During World War II, the plant produced guided missiles, fuel cells, and assault boats. However, by 1960, the plant had returned to primarily producing bowling technology, including the latest in automatic pinsetters.

In the 1980s, Brunswick began to move its manufacturing operations out of Muskegon, with pins, pinsetters, and scoring equipment being made elsewhere, often overseas. The last bowling ball was produced in Muskegon in 2006, after which ball manufacturing was moved to Mexico, and pinsetting equipment to Hungary.

Despite the closure of the manufacturing plant, Brunswick has maintained a presence in Muskegon, with around 175 employees working in management, research and development, marketing, and warehousing for the company's bowling division.

Brunswick's Muskegon plant was 280,000 square feet

Brunswick Bowling Products' Muskegon plant was a 280,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that produced bowling balls, pins, and pinsetting equipment. The plant was built in 1906 by Moses Bensinger, who was then directing the day-to-day operations of Brunswick. The Muskegon plant became the cornerstone of the company's manufacturing, producing the revolutionary $20 Mineralite (hard rubber) bowling ball. By the 1940s, the plant had expanded to over one million square feet.

The Muskegon plant was part of the company's efforts to establish itself in the bowling business. Moses Bensinger, who was married to Eleanora Brunswick, daughter of founder John Moses Brunswick, played an instrumental role in the development of the modern game of bowling. He began making wooden lanes, pins, and bowling balls, and was instrumental in organizing the first American Bowling Congress in 1895. The first significant bowling tournament was held in 1902, and the sport's global appeal grew from there.

In the 1980s, Brunswick began to pull its manufacturing operations out of Muskegon, making pins, pinsetters, and scoring equipment elsewhere, often overseas. The last bowling ball was made in Muskegon in 2006, after which ball manufacturing was moved to Mexico. The pinsetting equipment production was moved to Hungary.

The 280,000-square-foot plant on the north side of Laketon Avenue at Seaway Drive was demolished in 2013, with the last vestiges of the production facilities being removed by spring. The large office and warehouse complex on the south side of Laketon Avenue remains, however, with about 175 employees working in worldwide management, research and development, marketing, and warehousing for Brunswick Bowling Products.

Brunswick's bowling ball production moved to Mexico in 2006

Brunswick Corporation, the world's largest maker of bowling equipment, moved its bowling ball production from Muskegon, Michigan, to Reynosa, Mexico, in 2006. The Muskegon plant, which opened in 1906, was once the company's sole production line for bowling balls, and had been gradually emptying in the years leading up to the move.

The decision to move production to Mexico was made in an effort to reduce costs. Brunswick's CEO, George Buckley, stated that the company needed to "fundamentally alter [its] cost structure" to remain competitive in the global marketplace. The move was expected to save Brunswick $5-6 million annually, but it also resulted in the loss of 110-115 jobs at the Muskegon plant.

Despite the move, Brunswick maintained a presence in Muskegon, with around 175 employees remaining to work in management, research and development, marketing, and warehousing. The company also continued to have sales and support jobs in Michigan.

In 2009, a small independent producer of bowling items, Wilbur Products, launched a new line of professional-grade bowling balls, Motiv, which were manufactured in Muskegon Heights, Michigan.

Frequently asked questions