Repair event cycle times (RECT) at U.S. marine dealerships improved notably in June, with the average dropping to 36 days.
- This represents a 6-day decrease from May’s 42-day average, marking a strong month-over-month gain after a relatively stable spring.
- Despite the improvement, overall cycle times remain slightly elevated compared to June 2025, indicating the industry is still working to regain prior-year efficiency levels.
- The June gains suggest dealerships are beginning to recover momentum as peak service season progresses.
The RECT for the main bottlenecks — warranty coverage and out-of-stock parts — showed meaningful improvement in June.
- Work orders with warranty coverage averaged 63 days, a significant reduction from May, though they continue to be the most significant contributor to extended repair timelines.
- Out-of-stock parts work orders averaged 56 days, also improving from May but still elevated relative to overall cycle times.
What This Means for Dealers
- Big MoM win: June’s six-day drop is a meaningful operational improvement and a positive sign heading into peak service demand.
- Recovery underway: After a slow start to 2026, performance is trending in the right direction, though consistency will be key.
- Warranty progress matters: A 10-day improvement is significant, but still not enough to close the gap or remove it as the top bottleneck.
- Parts still sticky: Improving month-over-month, but no meaningful year-over-year progress, reinforcing ongoing inventory and supply challenges.
- Zoom out: Dealers are improving month-over-month, but still trailing 2025 efficiency levels, highlighting the need for sustained focus beyond short-term gains.
Takeaway
Short-term gains are encouraging, but long-term improvement will depend on how effectively dealerships address warranty workflows and parts management, two areas that continue to define overall service performance.
Watch Don Miller, IDS Marine Senior Data Innovation Manager, discuss this month’s data.
IDS Marine is an MRAA Education Champion.