Harley-Davidson to Cut More Than 700 Jobs

by poolparty | April 17, 2008 at 10:25 am

1598 views | 12 Recommendations | 14 comments

Harley-Davidson announced today they will be reducing their motorcycle production, and cutting more than 700 jobs over the next several months.

U.S. retail sales of Harley-Davidson motorcycles were down 12.8 percent in the first quarter. Jim Ziemer, Harley-Davidson's CEO called the results "disappointing," but said that Harley-Davidson's U.S. dealers outperformed the heavyweight motorcycle industry, which was down 14 percent.

Harley plans to ship 23,000 to 27,000 fewer motorcycles in 2008 than in 2007, resulting in total planned 2008 shipments of between 303,500 and 307,500 units.

"We've said on a number of occasions that we would closely monitor the retail environment and regularly assess our wholesale shipment plans and remain committed to shipping fewer Harley-Davidson motorcycles to our worldwide dealer network than we expect they will sell this year," Ziemer said.

Ziemer said the shipment reduction will occur through temporary plant shutdowns and adjustments to daily production rates. The company did not provide any further details on the plant shutdowns.

About 370 hourly production workers and 360 non-production employees will lose their jobs over the next several months as a result, Ziemer said.

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Amy Judd

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:38 on April 17th, 2008

Steph02, I like this story. It's good stuff. Could this be the end of the Harley?

Jordan Yerman

at 10:53 on April 17th, 2008

I'm sure that Harley-Davidson will survive... however, it's odd that HD's sales are dipping in the face of rising numbers of riders. Are more people going down the sportbike path? I can only hope. HD has that avenue covered with its Buell line, though, anecdotally, Buell tends to rate lower in reviews than Suzuki, Kawasaki, Triumph, and Ducati.

reowmeow

at 12:58 on April 17th, 2008

Barb's HD Southern Jersey

reowmeow has contributed a photo to this story.

trudeau

at 13:19 on April 17th, 2008

This Harley represents some $24,000 in investment, said my neighbor.

trudeau has contributed a photo to this story.

Mark and Lizzy

at 14:16 on April 17th, 2008

Just a great photo out riding the Harley.

Mark and Lizzy has contributed a photo to this story.

Mark and Lizzy

at 14:30 on April 17th, 2008

We hope that Harley Davidson will rebound and that those affected by the cuts either find suitable employment quickly or are in a position to spend more time riding their Harleys. It is always sad to see companies producing american made goods and or their employees struggling through hard times. We wish Harley Davidson and it's employees the best!

Jeep Novak

at 15:55 on April 17th, 2008

Radio was screaming Rebel Rouser by Duane Eddy, and then we hit back the road 66 down to Santa Monica

Jeep Novak has contributed a photo to this story.

JoeFriday

at 16:01 on April 17th, 2008

Customer at Milwaukee Harley-Davidson dealership. Photo by Brett Solberg.

JoeFriday has contributed a photo to this story.

kayaker41

at 16:21 on April 17th, 2008

kayaker41 has contributed a photo to this story.

ladyfingers12

at 18:25 on April 17th, 2008

This Harley belongs to a coworker of mine and it is a shame that hardworking people are losing their jobs. Harley Davidson symbolizes freedom and America.

ladyfingers12 has contributed a photo to this story.

FLY2BIGBEAR

at 21:05 on April 17th, 2008

These bikes were parked outside the GoodGuys HotRod Auto show, Orange County Fairgrounds, Costa Mesa, CA in March 2008. I like hotrods and bikes, planes, anything that moves.
fly2bigbear

fly2bigbear has contributed a photo to this story.