Think 2009 was a bad year for outdoor power equipment sales? A powersports business magazine recently shared some of their industry’s sales declines in 2009. It’s not a pretty picture.
Honda sales for motorcycles, ATV’s and PWC fell nearly 54% for its fiscal second quarter from the previous year. Suzuki North American powersports unit sales declined 40% in its most recent fiscal quarter. Arctic Cat sales fell 19%. Kawasaki North American sales fell 40% for its division that includes powersports. Yamaha’s North American motorcycle unit sales declined 31% for the first nine months of 2009 and its division that includes ATV’s and UTV’s declined 65% for the same period.
Servicing older equipment has to be just as important to powersports dealers as it is to OPE dealers. It’s nice to have service to fall back on during tough economic times when unit sales tank.
Not only is Husqvarna leaving Augusta, GA for Charlotte, but Husqvarna’s former owner Electrolux is also moving their corporate headquarters to Charlotte from Augusta, eventually employing 700 people. Electrolux will leave their customer service in Augusta for the time being unlike Husqvarna which is moving everything out of Augusta to Charlotte.
Husqvarna announced Jan. 7 that it will receive up to $2.5 million from the state of North Carolina if it can double its current Charlotte workforce of 160 in its consolidation move from Augusta and retain those jobs for nine years. Coincidentally, on December 24, Husqvarna announced plans to invest more than $2.5 million in a new parts distribution center in Lexington, S.C., which will replace its parts distribution center currently located in its assembly plant in Orangeburg, S.C.
Richard C. Notebaert, former CEO of Ameritech and Qwest International, illustrated how lack of innovation (which I call “thinking outside the box”) has been an issue for thousands of years:
"In a museum at Princeton University, there is a toy from a pre-Columbian civilization. It's a pull-toy complete with wheels.
Now the question is, if the craftsmen of the day were able to conceive of and construct wheels for an amusement—a toy—why didn't they take that technology a step further and design carts and wagons? Why didn't they develop tools that would ease their burdens?
Believe it or not, many scholars conclude they just never thought of it."
I read recently that stress is created when you are trying to control something that you can't control. In our business we suggest not worrying about those things you cannot control. Focus on what you can control. Improve it. Make it better. You’ll feel better and reduce the unnecessary stress in your life.
Certified Parts Corporation (CPC), the Janesville, Wis.-based company that purchased TecumsehPower on Feb. 9, 2009, acquired certain assets of Hoffco/Comet in an auction Dec. 17, according to Outdoor Power Equipment magazine. CPC purchased Hoffco/Comet’s intellectual property, dies, fixtures and tooling, as well as its entire existing parts inventory. CPC’s intention is to maintain a complet line of replacement parts and manufacture finished product in the near future.
There is some comfort in knowing CPC will be the company trying to maintain a supply of Comet and Hoffco parts for the marketplace. But I feel some sadness seeing another once strong and proud OPE company become missing-in-action. I have good memories of Hoffco/Comet and the Hoff brothers. The foundations of this industry were strong because of people like them and the company they ran. The company was a reflection of their innovativeness, their focus on quality before “quality” became a buzz word, their integrity, and a love for life and success in their personal and business lives. Gone but let’s hope not forgotten.
No comments:
Post a Comment