Briggs & Stratton Taps Restructuring Advisers With Debt Looming

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...h-debt-looming

 

It's rough out there.
Many, many Chinese knock off out there that are much less than the real thing.
Are they better ? No. Their throw away items.
That's what has happened in the USA and around the world.
Why fix something when all you have to do is go to Harbor Freight.
That's my .02 on this.

 

I grew up racing go karts with B&S , Tecumseh and Kolher engines, then the Honda 5 HP came along and the price to race went up! Way up. A used horizontal shaft 5 hp engine off a snow thrower or rototiller, we’re not competitive at all .
Shame to see, but it had to happen sooner or later.

 

I too use to make bikes on 20" frames with B&S, then went to a store bought mini bike frame. Bug was a hot item.
Back then there was no internet to find the tricks to hot rod a Briggs. Install a performance camshaft ? No way.
I found and installed a West Bend 580 2 cycle on one. Racing go kart engine at the time. Fast ? It sure was.
My friends used Mcculloch 2 cycle for their builds.
Honda was a breakthrough in performance. Durable and OHV engine. The Briggs was a L head. Just like the early Model A's and V8's.
If Briggs does a complete 180 they can survive. Just get rid of the knock offs.

 

The issues at Briggs are far deeper than engine competition. They actually still do very well in that area. It's the diversification into other products that's killing them. Purchases of companies like Simplicity and Murray, they became competitors of their own customers. In fact they lost one of their largest customers over this issue. They were expected to sell off a huge portion of the product lines by the end of June, then COVID-19 hit. The plan was, and still is, to sell off the product lines and get back to power systems only.

Most of Briggs engines are all made in the US, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia and Missouri . Although the Murray, KY plant will be closed soon.

 

Doc thanks for the info into this.
Could go deeper it what you said ?
" The plan was, and still is, to sell off the product lines and get back to power systems only."
What power system are you talking about ?
Generators ? Pumps ?

 

Power systems being engines and industrial generators, the permanent types for building emergency power. Also batteries. They just opened a new plant in GA that makes batteries for electric motors.
Portable generators are getting sold off.

https://biztimes.com/briggs-stratton...ucts-business/ - Not sure if this one will let you read it.

https://www.khl.com/international-re...142812.article

 

Yeah the first link doesn't work.
But by the second one Briggs is far from going under.
Interested in the battery market.

 

The second article is from March. A lot has changed since then.

 

OK thanks.
If you find more about this please post it.