Mercury Marine, a manufacturer of recreational marine propulsion engines, has opened a new million-dollar training center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, designed to offer a learning environment for Mercury Marine dealer and service center technicians.
The new 5,300-square-foot (500 square meters) facility is equipped with electronic diagnostic tools, computers and processes that highlight the company’s commitment to the environment. The new training center can accommodate 16 students at a time and will host approximately 20 classes per year.
“The main goal of this facility is to provide high quality service training for our customers,” said Bill Gress, president of Mercury Marine South America. “We are achieving this by providing an environment where students can have more interaction with our product and learn effectively about the operation and maintenance of Mercury engines. So far, we’ve already had seven courses and the feedback has been tremendous.”
Since opening just a few weeks ago, the facility has hosted Brazilian dealers, authorized service shops and the Brazilian Navy.
“With this new structure we hope to increase the quality of service provided by our dealers, ensuring that boaters can fully enjoy their time on the water,” said Gress. “When our dealers and service technician are trained, then we feel good knowing that boaters will always be in good and capable hands out on the water.
“Brazil is the fifth-largest country in the world with a robust boating industry, but prior to the opening of this facility the closest training center was in Mexico. Besides the distance, the difference in language was also a factor that prevented our dealers from having an opportunity to participate in the courses since most technicians do not speak English or Spanish. This new facility in Brazil bridges the gap and allows Mercury Marine to reach more of our customers in South America.”
Classes at the Rio de Janeiro facility are taught in the native language to the specific customers who sign up for the courses. This guarantees a better experience for the Brazilian dealers and in turn provides the highest quality service to Mercury customers.
