Bombardier Recreational Products or BRP is a
Canadian company (once part of
Bombardier Inc.) that traces its roots back to the year 1942 when
Joseph-Armand Bombardier founded
L'Auto-Neige Bombardier Limitée in Valcourt in the
Eastern Townships,
Quebec.
In 2003, Bombardier Inc. sold its Recreational Products Division to a group of
investors. The newly formed company was named Bombardier Recreational Products
and included all the activities started 60 years earlier by its founder. As of
October 6, 2009 it had about 5,500 employees working;[1]
its revenues in 2007 are above US$2.5
billion. BRP has manufacturing facilities in
five countries, Canada, the United States (Wisconsin, Illinois, North Carolina),
Mexico, Finland
and Austria.
The company’s products are sold in more than 80 countries, 18 of which have
their own direct sales network.[2]
BRP has a long legacy of innovation and holds the brands:
Ski-Doo,
Can-Am (ATV &
Spyder Roadster),
Sea-Doo (PWC and SportBoats),
Lynx,
Evinrude Outboard Motors,
Johnson Outboards and
Rotax. The
Ski-Doo personal snowmobile brand in particular is so iconic, especially in
Canada, that it was listed in 17th place on the
CBC's
The Greatest Canadian Invention
list in 2007.
During restructuring operations in 2003 the original snowmobile and tracked
utility vehicle division was spun off as a separate company. Though the company
is a major manufacturer of two stroke engines and four stroke motors for several
industries it is better known for its consumer recreational products.
They now make Ski-Doo and Lynx brand
snowmobiles,
all-terrain vehicles, Sea-Doo
personal watercraft, jet boats, and
Evinrude and
Johnson
outboard motors (through the purchase of
Outboard Marine Corporation) and
two-stroke cycle engines for inshore
motorboat racing. They also produce
motorcycle
motors, kart motors, and small airplane motors, through their
Rotax division.
Read the full history of Bombardier at Wikipedia
by clicking here.