Since Chris Ganshorn took over as General Manager for Polar Kraft in August of 2019, he’s seen a drastic improvement in many things in the company but the quality of the fit and finish stands out as one of the most epic wins.
“The company had changed hands a several times since the 1980’s and I don’t think the previous ownership groups invested much in improving the brand” he said. “A lot the equipment we had been working with was never upgraded to keep up with new technology.”
Ganshorn, even before he started working for Polar Kraft, simply is on the water, whether it being boating or skiing or some other water-activity. This “real life” experience helped him better the brand.
“What really makes the difference when you have an owner that cares about the quality of the product they are producing,” he said. Apex Marine has revitalized the Polar Kraft brand.
Mark Dupuie, the owner, and the management team have provided me with every piece of new equipment I asked for to help improve the quality and speed of the manufacturing process. We had a “CNC” cutting machine that was made in 1978, but Mark gave the nod to get a state-of-the-art model that is very precise AND is 100 times faster than our old equipment.”
New equipment is the foundation for our improved quality. From the new CNC aluminum cutting equipment, to new press brakes, Ganshorn said the fit and finish of the boat shows when you have precise cut quality and bends that had suffered and are now bragging points on every Polar Kraft boat produced.
“Our quality control now is something I’m really proud of,” he said. “We won’t skimp on quality just to get more boats off the line.”
About the only thing that hasn’t changed on new Polar Kraft’s are the hull and internal structural foundation.
“The ride, and how dry the boats are, has never changed,” he said. “They have always had one of the best rides on the water and that’s because we have one of the best hull designs in the industry.”
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