Harley-Davidson Cuts 1,000 Jobs

July 16, 2009
Motorcycle sales fall worldwide

Harley-Davidson Inc. will cut an additional 1,000 jobs after profit plunged 91% in the second quarter from the previous-year period, the company said July 16.

The layoffs are in addition to a previous workforce reduction of approximately 1,500 employees earlier in the year. Included in the layoffs are about 300 salaried positions. Net income for the quarter totaled $19.8 million, compared with $222.8 million in the year-earlier period. Worldwide retail unit sales of new Harley-Davidson motorcycles were down 30.1%.

Retail new Harley-Davidson motorcycle sales in the United States fell 35.1% and declined 18.2% in international markets compared with last year's second quarter. Industrywide retail sales of heavyweight motorcycles in the United States declined 48.1% for the same period.

"While the underlying fundamentals of the Harley-Davidson brand remain strong and our dealers' retail motorcycle sales declined less than our competitors, it is obviously a very tough environment for us right now, given the continued weak consumer spending in the overall economy for discretionary purchases," said Harley-Davidson, Inc. President and CEO Keith Wandell.

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Empowering the Modern Workforce: The Power of Connected Worker Technologies

March 1, 2024
Explore real-world strategies to boost worker safety, collaboration, training, and productivity in manufacturing. Emphasizing Industry 4.0, we'll discuss digitalization and automation...

3 Best Practices to Create a Product-Centric Competitive Advantage with PRO.FILE PLM

Jan. 25, 2024
Gain insight on best practices and strategies you need to accelerate engineering change management and reduce time to market. Register now for your opportunity to accelerate your...

Transformative Capabilities for XaaS Models in Manufacturing

Feb. 14, 2024
The manufacturing sector is undergoing a pivotal shift toward "servitization," or enhancing product offerings with services and embracing a subscription model. This transition...

Shifting Your Business from Products to Service-Based Business Models: Generating Predictable Revenues

Oct. 27, 2023
Executive summary on a recent IndustryWeek-hosted webinar sponsored by SAP

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!