July 20, 2010
Updated -- Community News
Harley Davidson seeks to expand repair garage
Planned project would increase structure by 47 percent
By Deirdre Krasula
Scott Brinton/Herald
The Town of Hempstead Board recently heard an application by Harley Davidson of Bellmore to expand its garage.
Updated: 2:47 p.m., July 21. The sounds of motorists along Sunrise Highway in Bellmore may soon get a little louder. At a July 13 hearing, the Town of Hempstead Board heard an application for the expansion of a repair garage for Harley Davidson Motorcycles.
Harley Davidson, at 2428 Sunrise Highway in Bellmore, at the corner of Newbridge Road, is owned by Toby Liz Realty, Inc., according to documents filed with the BZA. The application to expand, first filed in 2008 and obtained by the Bellmore Herald, calls for the construction of a 4,457-square-foot, one-and-a-half story addition to the existing building. In order to create the addition, a small building on the west side of the property must be demolished; with the addition, the total structure would jump from 9,471 square feet to 13,928 square feet, increasing its size by 47 percent.
The application also calls for use the setback along Brevoort Place for parking.
The Harley Davidson already has a repair garage. A 2004 resolution proposed by town Councilwoman Angie Cullin, a Republican from Freeport, states that:
•No motorcycles awaiting repair will be stored in the parking areas on the subject property, and all repair work will be done inside the building
•Motorcycles cannot be tested on residential side streets, only on Sunrise Highway.
•The hours of operation for repairs will be no earlier than 9 a.m. and no later than 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. No repairs can be made on Sunday.
At the July 13 hearing, the town board reserved its decision on Harley Davidson's application, according to Susie Trenkle-Pokalsky, a town spokeswoman. The board may choose to approve or reject it, and the town board may reserve its decision for a number of months before acting on it, Trenkle-Pokalsky said. If Harley Davidson has its application rejected, it may choose to appeal the decision before the town Board of Zoning Appeals.
At press time, a representative of Harley Davidson could not be reached for comment.
Comments about this story? DKrasula@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Harley's second-quarter income up 317% over 2009
CHRISTINA KAUFFMAN The York Dispatch
Updated: 07/20/2010 09:25:25 AM EDT
Harley-Davidson credits cost-saving restructuring efforts such as those under way at its York manufacturing plant for boosting second-quarter income by 317 percent over last year’s numbers.
The motorcycle maker, in releasing the numbers on Tuesday, also talked about plans to spread its efficiency-increasing cuts to factories in other states.
Workforce reductions and restructuring, which started last year, could result in one-time charges of as much as $195 million in 2010, while also yielding a savings of as much as $155 million, the company said. It estimates Harley will save as much as $260 million per year after all the restructuring is completed in 2012.
York’s role in that savings meant the loss of about 1,000 jobs and other cuts the union consented to during contract negotiations last year, after the company threatened to relocate to somewhere cheaper if a deal couldn’t be reached.
The company is scheduled to begin negotiations this week with the unions representing its Wisconsin production employees, whose contract expires in April 2012.
Déjà vu: In what might seem like déjà vu to Yorkers, the company said Tuesday it plans to “close large cost gaps in its Milwaukee-area and Tomahawk production operations and improve flexibility to meet seasonal and other customer-driven production needs.
“If Harley-Davidson is unable to achieve
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those objectives through agreement with the unions by mid-September 2010, the company has said it will move Wisconsin production operations to another U.S. location,” according to the earnings report.
York plant spokesman Michael DiMauro said the changes in York are “going as well or better than we’ve hoped for.”
The staff cuts and an overhaul of the production model are proceeding on schedule, he said.
The York facility started the year with about 1,900 production employees, and that number is being whittled to between 700 and 800 by next July, DiMauro said. The York restructuring is expected to be complete by 2012.
He said he couldn’t comment on whether York’s plant is being used as a model for other facilities, but “what we’re doing here we expect will carry throughout the organization.”
Results: For stockholders, the 317 percent increase in income means earnings-per-share increased from 14 cents to 59 cents, as income increased from $33.4 million to $139.3 million.
The motorcycle maker is also beating 2009’s numbers for the first six months of the year, with income increasing 29 percent, to $208 million or 89 cents per share.
The company said the performance at its lending arm, Harley-Davidson Financial Services, contributed to the positive numbers.
HDFS reported second-quarter operating income $60.8 million, compared to an operating loss of $90.5 million for the same period of 2009.
But while the company’s making more money, worldwide retail sales of new motorcycles fell 5.5 percent in the quarter.
Pleased: President and CEO Keith Wandell said executives are pleased with the numbers because they show a moderation in the rate of decline from the prior four quarters.
For the first six months of the year, retail sales fell 10.7 percent. Wandell said conditions “will remain challenging” for sales this year, so the company will have to focus on managing supply and demand.
The company reiterated its expectation to ship between 201,000 and 212,000 motorcycles in 2010, a reduction of 5 to 10 percent from 2009.
CHRISTINA KAUFFMAN The York Dispatch
Updated: 07/20/2010 09:25:25 AM EDT
Harley-Davidson credits cost-saving restructuring efforts such as those under way at its York manufacturing plant for boosting second-quarter income by 317 percent over last year’s numbers.
The motorcycle maker, in releasing the numbers on Tuesday, also talked about plans to spread its efficiency-increasing cuts to factories in other states.
Workforce reductions and restructuring, which started last year, could result in one-time charges of as much as $195 million in 2010, while also yielding a savings of as much as $155 million, the company said. It estimates Harley will save as much as $260 million per year after all the restructuring is completed in 2012.
York’s role in that savings meant the loss of about 1,000 jobs and other cuts the union consented to during contract negotiations last year, after the company threatened to relocate to somewhere cheaper if a deal couldn’t be reached.
The company is scheduled to begin negotiations this week with the unions representing its Wisconsin production employees, whose contract expires in April 2012.
Déjà vu: In what might seem like déjà vu to Yorkers, the company said Tuesday it plans to “close large cost gaps in its Milwaukee-area and Tomahawk production operations and improve flexibility to meet seasonal and other customer-driven production needs.
“If Harley-Davidson is unable to achieve
Advertisement
Click here to find out more!
those objectives through agreement with the unions by mid-September 2010, the company has said it will move Wisconsin production operations to another U.S. location,” according to the earnings report.
York plant spokesman Michael DiMauro said the changes in York are “going as well or better than we’ve hoped for.”
The staff cuts and an overhaul of the production model are proceeding on schedule, he said.
The York facility started the year with about 1,900 production employees, and that number is being whittled to between 700 and 800 by next July, DiMauro said. The York restructuring is expected to be complete by 2012.
He said he couldn’t comment on whether York’s plant is being used as a model for other facilities, but “what we’re doing here we expect will carry throughout the organization.”
Results: For stockholders, the 317 percent increase in income means earnings-per-share increased from 14 cents to 59 cents, as income increased from $33.4 million to $139.3 million.
The motorcycle maker is also beating 2009’s numbers for the first six months of the year, with income increasing 29 percent, to $208 million or 89 cents per share.
The company said the performance at its lending arm, Harley-Davidson Financial Services, contributed to the positive numbers.
HDFS reported second-quarter operating income $60.8 million, compared to an operating loss of $90.5 million for the same period of 2009.
But while the company’s making more money, worldwide retail sales of new motorcycles fell 5.5 percent in the quarter.
Pleased: President and CEO Keith Wandell said executives are pleased with the numbers because they show a moderation in the rate of decline from the prior four quarters.
For the first six months of the year, retail sales fell 10.7 percent. Wandell said conditions “will remain challenging” for sales this year, so the company will have to focus on managing supply and demand.
The company reiterated its expectation to ship between 201,000 and 212,000 motorcycles in 2010, a reduction of 5 to 10 percent from 2009.
Monday, July 12, 2010
The following is from Red Bull...
James Stewart and his Flugtag YZAfter weeks of carefully sculpting, polishing, and tweaking his YZ450F to make it sea- and air-worthy, James Stewart finally tried his hand at the Red Bull Flugtag event on Saturday in Miami, Florida, July 10, in front of more than 85,000 spectators.
James' confidence was soaring pretty high right before his flight: "Since I'm a Red Bull rider and can't actually be judged in the event, I figure I might as well just go ahead and break the distance record so that everyone remembers me," James said with a grin.
Unfortunately for James, however, flying a stationary motorcycle off of a 25-foot-high platform (with no motor) wasn't quite as easy as he thought it might be; though James did put in a solid attempt, his distance was quite a bit shy of the winning team's flight/descent of 54 feet. Still, it was all in the name of fun for the 2009 Supercross champ, and he definitely accomplished that goal.
James Stewart "airborne""Red Bull Flugtag in Miami was a blast! It took me out of being so serious from what I normally do, which is racing," said Stewart. "Red Bull does so many cool things and being one of their athletes, the opportunities are just unlimited. I want to go for the record again!"
For more information on Red Bull Flugtag
HARLEY DAVIDSON IN CHINA
Harley-Davidson opened its first dealer in China in 2005, they now have four dealers operating nationwide (Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao and Hong Kong). Harley reported that sales had doubled in China last year and plans to open four new dealerships this year (Wenzhou, Xiamen, Dalian and Chengdu). According to Rodney Copes, Harley’s Vice President of international sales, China is the fastest growing market for the American motorcycle manufacture.
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