US Marine Industry Leaders Testify in Support of Yamaha at International Trade Commission Hearing

Testimony Refutes Brunswick Corporation's Dumping Claims

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 -- Irwin Jacobs, Bob Deputy and other leading marine industry representatives testified Dec. 14, 2004, at a hearing before the International Trade Commission on behalf of Yamaha in a united effort to refute Brunswick Corporation's dumping claims. Prior to the hearing, Brunswick requested that the Japanese powerheads for outboard motors that it imports from Japan for 75-115 horsepower outboard motors be excluded from its original petition. The hearing was held in Washington, D.C., and the ITC is expected to render a decision in early 2005 as to whether or not imports of Japanese outboard motors and powerheads for outboard motors are causing injury to Brunswick. Investigation No 731-TA-1069 (Final).

"It was important that the ITC hear not only from Yamaha, but also from American manufacturers who also stand to lose from Brunswick's self-serving dumping petition," said Phil Dyskow, President of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A.'s Marine Group. "Yamaha was honored to have such distinguished marine industry leaders, including Irwin Jacobs of Genmar, Bob Deputy of Godfrey, Kris Carroll of Grady-White, Joan Maxwell of Regulator and Scott Deal of Maverick testify on its behalf.

"They expressed their concerns about Brunswick's efforts to control and dominate the marine market by reducing competition in the outboard motor industry," said Dyskow, "and touched on Brunswick's efforts to trick the ITC by removing many of Brunswick's own imports from the dumping case. Importantly, their testimony added weight to Yamaha's claim that Brunswick's petition is simply a sham intended to divert attention from Brunswick's efforts to dominate the marine industry through the use of cheap foreign labor.

"What is most amazing," concluded Dyskow, "is that Brunswick is making this effort while posting record profits and is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase competitors and increase its business. It is absurd that, with all of its achievements, Brunswick is attempting to cry poverty and distress to the ITC. Yet with the help of the American marine industry's testimony, it is our hope that we will have successfully refuted Brunswick's claims of injury and put an end to this dumping case once and for all."