What are the competitive advantages of J Boats?

CASE .J Boats visitor, strolling along the picturesque harbor of Newport, Rhode Island, might wish to visit the corporate headquarters of I Boats, Inc.one of America's most successful and famous boat-builders. Each year, over 100,000 people around the world sailed on one of their boats. More than 65 American and international yacht brokers marketed the company's products, emphasizing design innovations which set the industry standard for quality and performance. In addition to the production plant in Rhode Island, I Boats were built to precise de- sign specications in factories in eight countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, England, France, Italy, Japan, and South Africa. By 1996, the company had produced over 8,500 sail- boats, ranging in size from 22' to 52'. The smallest sailboat cost approximately $20,000 and the largest in excess of $500,000. Production methods were complex, combining sophisti- cated resin infusion technologies and careful hand-crafting. Building a large yacht could take up to six months in large production facilities employing 500 people. Over the years, I Boats had won many awards including: - \"Boat of the Year\" (Sail magazine, Sailing Hbrid', Cruising World8 different J Boat designs had earned this distinction in the last 7 years - \"Boat of the Decade\" (Sail magazine)awarded to 1&4 design - American Sailboat Hall of FameJr'24 one of 5 boats originally inducted In a 1991 article devoted to the people and technologies at the forefront of American competitiveness, Fortune magazine named the performance sailboats built by I Boats as one of the 100 best products manufactured in America. I Boats enjoyed an enviable worldwide reputation. . . . yet, few people realized that the company was managed and operated by just ve individuals. \"The garage was 28' long with a workbench at one end and the door was 9' wide,\" Rod Iohnstone, cofounder of I Boats explained. \"It was no accident that the boat was 24' by run-u . nn 1