News

Sept. 7, 2009 – Hot News

Harley officials scouting possible new facility sites

Harley-Davidson has begun visiting sites that could eventually replace its York, Penn., manufacturing plant, according to online reports.
Harley is considering sites in Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana and recently visited a site in Shelbyville, Ind., according to the Kansas City Business Journal. The report also said Harley has scouted sites in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Shelbyville, Ky.
“We have a number of criteria that we are looking at,” Bob Klein, Harley’s director of corporate communications, told the Journal. “Because it’s an ongoing process, we’ve decided not to provide any specifics.”
Harley-Davidson said in May its York facility is not cost-effective and it might move its operations. More than 2,000 local jobs are at stake.
In an effort to keep Harley-Davidson at the plant, state government officials have outlined a package of incentives, including help with job training and infrastructure, low-interest loans and $15 million for upgrades.

Ducati adjusts production to deal with sales decline

Ducati is reducing its 2009 production and cutting its executives’ salaries in wake of reduced sales, according to a published report.
Ducati CEO Gabriele Del Torchio told the Financial Times its U.S. sales had dropped by roughly half compared to the year-ago period. Del Torchio noted the sales decline was due in part to the difficulty consumers had in obtaining financing.
Ducati’s reduction in sales follows the U.S. industry as a whole, which was down more than 45 percent for on-road motorcycles in the first half of 2009. Ducati, however, has said it has seen significant market share improvements in several large U.S. markets this year.
In reaction to the slowdown, Ducati has cut executive salaries by 10 percent — although Del Torchio said he took a 20 percent pay cut — and will reduce production to 34,000 motorcycles. Last year, Ducati sold 42,800 bikes worldwide.

Kawasaki, KYMCO enter joint venture

Kawasaki Heavy Industries and KYMCO signed a joint-venture agreement to produce high-performance general gasoline engines. KYMCO and Kawasaki will invest $10 million to form Changzhou Kawasaki and Kwang Yang Engine Co. Ltd. (CK&K) in the Changzhou National Hi-Tech District.
Kawasaki has worked with KYMCO since 2005. The newly established company, located inside the Changzhou Kwang Yang Motor Co. Ltd. (Changzhou KYMCO), is expected to start production next January.
Founded by Taiwan Kwang Yang Engine Corp. in 1995, Changzhou KYMCO is Taiwan KYMCO’s R&D, production and sales base in the China mainland.
Products of CK&K will be mainly exported to the North American market and distributed around the world under the Kawasaki and KYMCO brands. The products will include gas engines for brush cutters, blowers, sprayers, generators and cultivators.

Powersports auction facility to open in Las Vegas

The Premier Auction Group has added a Las Vegas powersports/marine/RV auction to its growing chain, the company announced.
“This is our first venture out West and will be the largest Premier auction in the chain,” John Sullivan, vice president of PAG Investment Services, parent company of the Premier Auction Group, said in a press release. “The location and attraction of Vegas presents an unlimited marketing strategy and great opportunity for us.”
The six-lane, 25,000-square-foot facility will offer auctions beginning in October. The auction is located off of I-15 and is serviced by McCarran International Airport.
“The initial response from our customers and potential clients has been tremendous,” Bob Hubregsen, president and owner of Premier, said in the release. “Once again, we will be offering all of the services that our dealers expect, including live simulcast, in-house reconditioning, mechanical and transportation services with the personal attention that every Premier Auction is known for.”
Paul McRae, national accounts manager for Premier and general manager of Bay Auto Auction, will be managing the new facility.

Distributor’s stock info available on ADP Lightspeed

Dealers using ADP Lightspeed will now be able to search Western Power Sports data from their DMS, ADP Lightspeed announced.
The new integration agreement covers dealers who are using LightspeedNXT, a press release said.
“This important partnership furthers our goal to help the dealer close more sales,” Laurn Rice, ADP Lightspeed’s general manager, said in the press release. “Having Western Power Sports’ extensive warehouse information integrated directly into Lightspeed NXT gives dealers a competitive edge in getting the customer what they want quickly, even if what the customer is looking for is not in stock in the store.”
In June 2008, ADP Lightspeed released a Parts and Major Unit Locator within the LightspeedNXT program. This allows dealers to post inventory and instantly search other dealers’ inventory within the LightspeedNXT network. This past June, there were more than 18,000 individual parts searches. psb

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button