Yamaha Marine Group received four 2006 Marine Industry CSI Awards for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction from the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) during Industry Breakfast ceremonies today at the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida.

Yamaha Outboards has been the only outboard brand to receive the CSI award each year since the program began in 2001.

The CSI Awards recognize participating companies that have actively measured customer satisfaction to pursue continuous improvement. To earn an award, the brand must have achieved and maintained an independently measured standard of excellence of 90 percent or higher in customer satisfaction over the past year, based on information provided from thousands of consumers who have purchased a new boat during that period.

Yamaha Marine Group President Phil Dyskow noted, “The opinions of our customers serve as important measurements of how our brands are performing to their expectations. It is especially gratifying for our brands to be recognized with these awards since the results come from a complete measurement of boat owners, not a small sampling.”

To qualify, companies must be enrolled in the Marine Industry CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) Program and adhere to the guidelines of the program in implementing ongoing measurement of customer satisfaction. Participants must have achieved a 12-month average score of 90 from new boat owners rating “Overall Satisfaction with the Boat.”

The spirit of the CSI program and the award is to elevate the importance of customer satisfaction in the marine industry and recognize manufacturers’ best practices in this area in a positive manner.

We have teamed up with Yamaha because we believe that they build the best outboards available today. With a Yamaha Outboard on the transom of your new Defiance Boat you can rest assured that you will spend your time fishing, not at the dealer with engine problems.