Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/68493
PDB Power Profile sorted castings. The products produced at PPI are supplied to customers globally. As media we invaded the space of several hard work- The final step it to clean the propeller and inspect it once again for any blemishes. Each needs to be cleaned for a final time before being shipped out. There is an estimated 100 to 110 man hours in just one propeller that takes around two weeks to complete. media are tours and the behind closed door access we some- times get. Yamaha was able to set up a tour so we could see first-hand how propellers are manufactured. Precision Propeller Industries, Inc., a subsidiary of Ya- maha Motor Corp., USA, is an investment casting facility located in Indianapolis, Ind. that has produced stainless steel propellers for the marine industry since 1981. PPI also produces propellers used in the food and drug industry, medical devices used in physical therapy and other as- ing men and women to take photos and be educated on the process. Currently PPI employees over 90 people at its 67,000-square-foot facility that is located on 4.4 acres. The annual production is 40,000 units, but the number that stood out to me the most was the number of man hours that go into each propeller. PPI estimates that on average, 100 to 110 man hours go into one prop! After taking the tour it's easy to believe, based on all the quality checks and the physical labor that is involved to create these propellers. PPI has invested $200,000 in the last two years on new equipment, such as drag finishers, wax press injection ma- chines and many other production-enhancing devices. But despite the advances being made in technology, there will always be a need for hands-on skilled labor. Multiple qual- ity checks are involved and to build propellers you need to combine innovation with old technology. After leaving PPI I think we all came away with not only a better understanding of the propeller process, but a better respect for the efforts being made to improve our time on the water as well as the hard working people that make it happen. We also came away from the Yamaha media event with a better appreciation for the Yamaha outboard line that has earned NMMA's C.S.I. Customer Satisfaction Index award every year since its inception. To learn more about Yamaha Marine visit www.yamahaoutboards.com. 44 PDB Mag www.pdbmagazine.com