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Author Topic: Harley moving jobs to Europe  (Read 12033 times)

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J.D.

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #15 on: June 25, 2018, 07:10:52 PM »

What is all of that slapping noise?  Just Indian management high fiving eachother.  Good luck, Harley, hanging your hat on "Made in USA".
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Ironhorse

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #16 on: June 25, 2018, 07:33:54 PM »

What is all of that slapping noise?

Lifters and cam shafts,...LOL!!!
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windjammer

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #17 on: June 25, 2018, 08:02:00 PM »

Harley is downsizing production in the US due to diminishing demand and increasing production worldwide for increasing worldwide demand for their product. Sounds like a Wall Street genius running the company! Your next CVO may be built in Thiland or India maybe Brazil? Harley is doing what they must to survive.
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J.D.

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #18 on: June 25, 2018, 08:07:35 PM »

Short term gains and long term losses.  Pretty much the only thing they have going for them is Made in USA.
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J.D.

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #19 on: June 25, 2018, 08:08:18 PM »

Lifters and cam shafts,...LOL!!!

 :ROFLOL:
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OBB

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #20 on: June 25, 2018, 08:15:33 PM »

What is all of that slapping noise?  Just Indian management high fiving eachother.  Good luck, Harley, hanging your hat on "Made in USA".
I'm guessing Polaris doesn't export any of their products to the EU?
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J.D.

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #21 on: June 25, 2018, 08:22:40 PM »

Are they making Indians OUS? AFAIK they're making them all here in Iowa.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2018, 08:25:26 PM by 2002FXDWG3 »
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charles05663

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #22 on: June 25, 2018, 08:29:45 PM »

I'm guessing Polaris doesn't export any of their products to the EU?

They may, but I think MoCo is jumping at the chance while the anger and blame is pointed toward a white house located in a swamp.

 :oops: :nixweiss:
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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #23 on: June 25, 2018, 09:17:38 PM »


IMHO Harley was already planning to move production off-shore.  The tariff thing just gave them an opportunity to do it while deflecting the blame elsewhere.  And while some of you keep saying the production will move to Europe, I don't see anything that actually says that.  All they seem to be doing is looking for a place that won't be affected by the added tariffs that are being imposed by the EU on American goods.  That gives them a huge number of places to move production that have much lower labor costs, which is what they really wanted anyway.  The screwing the employees got under the previous CEO Wandell cut labor costs significantly, but now they have the opportunity to find some third world place where they can really find cheap labor.  They definitely wouldn't want to build anything in Germany, where labor costs are among the highest in the world and much higher than what they currently have in this country.

Personally, I have no sympathy at all for the folks running H-D or their obvious ploy to blame this on tariffs.  This is the same corporation that went crying to Uncle Sam back in the 70's and 80's because they couldn't compete with the much better Japanese products, and got stiff tariffs added to those competing products. 

Jerry
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Ironhorse

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #24 on: June 25, 2018, 09:38:06 PM »

They may, but I think MoCo is jumping at the chance while the anger and blame is pointed toward a white house located in a swamp.

 :oops: :nixweiss:

I don't think that's so much the issue, the swamp is the swamp, never draining always growing. Yes the swamp and its inhabitants are easy to blame, but the truth is HD has to do what's going to make them money. If history has shown us anything, it's that low labor cost is the best way to save money. Regardless if it's baseball caps, dress suits, shoes, and now motorcycles, if America can build it cheaper elsewhere they will.  It will be an American product in name only.
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skratch

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #25 on: June 25, 2018, 09:40:58 PM »

IMHO Harley was already planning to move production off-shore.  The tariff thing just gave them an opportunity to do it while deflecting the blame elsewhere.  And while some of you keep saying the production will move to Europe, I don't see anything that actually says that.  All they seem to be doing is looking for a place that won't be affected by the added tariffs that are being imposed by the EU on American goods.  That gives them a huge number of places to move production that have much lower labor costs, which is what they really wanted anyway.  The screwing the employees got under the previous CEO Wandell cut labor costs significantly, but now they have the opportunity to find some third world place where they can really find cheap labor.  They definitely wouldn't want to build anything in Germany, where labor costs are among the highest in the world and much higher than what they currently have in this country.

Personally, I have no sympathy at all for the folks running H-D or their obvious ploy to blame this on tariffs.  This is the same corporation that went crying to Uncle Sam back in the 70's and 80's because they couldn't compete with the much better Japanese products, and got stiff tariffs added to those competing products. 

Jerry

i have to partially agree with your post.  there is no way that they could have decided to shut kansas city, consolidate in york, move production overseas, etc. in such a short amount of time.  i would guess that this has been in the works for two years or more.

and, as long as they keep it as intended, assembling bikes for that market, then i don't have a problem with it.  it's a smart move.  why would you build something here and pay heavy duties and taxes on it when you ship it overseas, if you could assemble it overseas, sell it, and avoid the large tax penalty?  but i don't want to see something built offshore and then sent back here.  that would not please me at all.....
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mark

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #26 on: June 25, 2018, 09:49:31 PM »

HD should be able to produce bikes in Germany, despite high labor costs, and still make a tidy profit.  BMW seems able to make a better product, with more features/technology, at a cheaper MSRP.  And, BMW has the added cost of shipping the finished product across the Atlantic.

But I agree, it would make better business sense to manufacture in a country with extremely low labor costs and ship to Europe.  Welcome to HD's Saigon Assembly Plant and Worker Indoctrination Camp...
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OBB

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #27 on: June 25, 2018, 10:06:44 PM »

Are they making Indians OUS? AFAIK they're making them all here in Iowa.
My remark was aimed at the fact that Polaris will also be paying tariffs. I'm not too sure they'll be high fiving one another about that.
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Para Bellum

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #28 on: June 26, 2018, 12:10:20 AM »

They may, but I think MoCo is jumping at the chance while the anger and blame is pointed toward a white house located in a swamp.

 :oops: :nixweiss:
HD is jumping at this opportunity to shift the blame.  From the MSN article link posted above (and as most of us already knew):

"Harley was already planning to shrink its U.S. manufacturing base. Earlier this year the company said it would close a factory in Kansas City and consolidate production at plants in Milwaukee and York, Pa. The first layoffs at the Kansas City plant are scheduled for August."
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Twolanerider

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Re: Harley moving jobs to Europe
« Reply #29 on: June 26, 2018, 12:36:44 AM »

HD should be able to produce bikes in Germany, despite high labor costs, and still make a tidy profit.  BMW seems able to make a better product, with more features/technology, at a cheaper MSRP.  And, BMW has the added cost of shipping the finished product across the Atlantic.

But I agree, it would make better business sense to manufacture in a country with extremely low labor costs and ship to Europe.  Welcome to HD's Saigon Assembly Plant and Worker Indoctrination Camp...


Saigon (or Hanoi) would certainly add some interesting historical symmetry to the whole Harley Davidson USA production drama.  Harley already has operating production in Brazil though.  While I've no idea what current trade agreements are between EU and the Latin American economic zone I do remember that they've been in talks the last couple of years trying to establish a free trade agreement.  Transport costs obviously not cheaper but labor costs more than enough less to offset.  Maybe it's nothing more difficult to figure out than simply using existing production facilities?
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