Two H-D Plants closing...One temp.

[BaZa®]

Monday, 14 September 2009 19:23 Harley-Davidson to close Wauwatosa plant this month; Buell to close East Troy plant for two months.

Ron Lieback
AllAboutBikes.com Content Editor/Staff Writer

Due to dire economic conditions, motorcycle icon Harley-Davidson and its sibling Buell are forced to halt production, in hope to realign production with reduced demand for motorcycles.
Harley-Davidson will close its Wauwatosa plant in Wisconsin September 25 until the end of the fourth quarter of the fiscal year or longer, according to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. An estimated 50 people will be laid off, some permanent.
Some Wauwatosa workers have seniority over employees at the nearby Franklin Distribution Center, and can “bump” those workers. This can lead to many layoffs at the Franklin site also. A spokesman for The Motor Company reported both plants will permanently close by the end of next year.
Earlier this year, H-D reported a cut of around 600 jobs at both Wisconsin plants. Another plant that is facing shut down is the York plant in Pennsylvania. H-D is looking to modernize the York factory, or move it to another state where it can operate more efficiently.
All these changes come after H-D reported sales being down more than 30 percent, and second-quarter profits plunging 91 percent.
The Buell Motorcycle Company in East Troy, Wis., will also take a two-month “holiday shutdown”, expected to begin Nov. 2 and reopen Jan. 4, 2010. Fifty workers will be affected by the shutdown at 2799 Buell Drive.
Additional information will be reported as it’s released.

[kiwidave]

Not totally unexpected, but very sad for the workers.

Sales down 30 per cent? When times get tough, and they are, I guess existing Harley owners hold on to the one they have....and are thankful for not having to sell that......and the dreamers cannot justify the huge discretionary spend.

[Tony Cross]

Maybe the MoCo will learn to be a bit more responsive to the customer. eg those wheels falling apart.

[peter1450]

Maybe if they had a little price reduction...............................

[lawnmower]

yes dream on. The money men run the whole show and frankly they dont care a damn. yes sales are down due to external factors, it will wind down until it picks up again but expectation of listening to customers & improving the lack lustre after sales are i am afraid just a dream as are price reductions.However there are possible price reductions to be had due to exchange rate fluctuations although this can have an adverse effect as it has had recently in the UK where due to sterlings poor strength compared to the Euro many european buyers were buying in the UK as opposed to their home country. The result was a price rise in the UK to try and halt the sales drain from the european dealers to the UK. Globalisation at its worst

[Hilts]

I toured the York factory in August. It's showing it's age. I've been round the Triumph factory and Triumph is far more modern but way, way smaller.

We were told union problems at the York site is a big reason. Moving it to the Kansas City site is an option as well as to Murfreesboro in Tennessee with a couple of other options. I think York employs 3,500, sad for them but I think closing it is a done deal. The only question is where it will go.

Sub prime loans on bikes really screwed 'em. H-D management really fell for that one!