Yamaha Cutting Production for 2019

[Farmer 73]

Honestly there could be two reasons for this.. most likely and my take

Textron buys arctic and catches Yamaha by surprise and puts them in a bad spot. Then Textron reads up on the supply deal and starts optimizing production and tells Yamaha all orders need to be in by this date for us to uphold our end.. Yamaha who has been relying on arctics less than "strictly business" approach has no other options than to comply or stop producing sleds. Wanting to stay in the sled business or at least not just roll over complies giving them a few more months to decide if they can set up a US manufacturing line and finalize a new chassi för 2020 or call it quits. Textron won't be a long time partner.

So if I had written this during business hours I would have charged for it.

My 0.02$ is there will be a Yamaha built 2020 sled, and it will be to late and still 4stroke..

As a consultant I would suggest (in so many more cool business words) branching of a new US subsidiary, all new people and no corporate culture and let them be the "creative new thinking, upp and coming, talent pool of Yamaha.. but chances for that would be slim to none, but sucsessfull.

Cost to much to start up! If it isn't in the works already, its not going to happen! You are a 100% right, Yamaha got caught with their pants down when Textron bought CAT!

 

[Farmer 73]

shoul


should of done this years ago,this will make dealers happy...guaranteed other three will follow suite!!!that means more yamaha dealers since you dont have to hold inventory!!!!!

So what do you think that is going to do to the price's of our beloved Yamaha sleds?

 

[rtx moose]

So what do you think that is going to do to the price's of our beloved Yamaha sleds?[/QUOTE

 

[Farmer 73]

As I said in an earlier post, this is NOT lean manufacturing. Lean Manufacturing is a process for improving efficiency, it revolves around removing the waste in any system or process that does not directly and positively impact the manufacturing outcome. The history is with large manufacturing conglomerates like Toyota who use these processes to create efficiencies which translates into improvements to gross profit (by lowering costs). One of the impacting factors of gross profit and independent of manufacturing is inventory control. If you simply make too much or too little of something, despite having a lean manufacturing process, you have an inventory problem so you introduce risk. What Yamaha appears to be doing is clearing the channel which is typically an activity you engage in prior to either exiting a market or prior to significant product introduction. The tell-tales for whether it is one or the other is the investment activity. At this point Yamaha has pulled the investment from Japan and placed it into north america (closer to the consumer). Making that sort of investment is typically associated with the future, not the past. If it was about the past then they would not be introducing new models (whether manufactured directly or with a partner) they would simply be rehashing the old ones and they would not be creating a new HQ for the division, they would be shutting it down and life cycle managing the supply chain. all just observation of course since I don't work there.

Yes it looks like the future, investing into North America, but like I've said I don't think they saw the Textron buy out of Artic Cat coming! I believe Yamaha is just fulfilling their side of the partnership until its over! Please tell me I'm wrong Mr. Tew!

 

[Farmer 73]

very Smart business move on their part. They’ll give us something good when the time is right.

Remember, yamaha sells a lot more of their other products than sleds. And they don’t teally need to sell sleds to stay in business. Sleds just fill the void for the winter...

The thing is, unlike Polaris and Skidoo, they as a company don't really need to fill the void during the winter! Neither does Textron! Cat sleds will be gone to! In my eyes, the real reason they kept the Cat name on the sleds and changed atv products to Textron off road in the first place! They will squeeze what they can get out of the Cat faithful then close the company!

 

[Doc Harley]

This thread makes a great read. In the end it's all pure speculation.

Does a drought in Florida raise the cost of oranges? Lol.....

 

[MX5.7]

It depends if people want the oranges or not.

 

[moab11]

I look at it as more of a stop gap procedure. Limited supply of 2019 sleds, many of which are spring order only, means very little in dealer inventory next year.
I don't see Yamaha getting out of sleds, but I do agree that I think they didn't see the textron deal coming either. They probably have a new chassis in development, just wasn't ready for this year. I think I remember Chris Reed mentioning that the sidewinder engine was in development for 4 years, safe to assume a new chassis takes a similar amount of time. Seeing that the mountain sleds are spring order only, makes sense that is what is getting replaced first, as would a lower power/smaller sled to slot in below the viper and above the snoscoot, same with a 2-up sled as all are absent this year.

The local Cat dealer mentioned that the Arctic Cat acquisition by Textron was a fun project for an upper level person, and a considerable check was written to infuse the offroad division with more excitement. Buying Cat was a small portion of the money available, so last year and this year are just releasing what was already in the works before the acquisition, maybe testing the alpha rear skid. 2020 is supposed to be when the anything new from textron will be released, and apparently the designers and engineers have been given a pretty blank slate. This also fits into why Yamaha reduced the production for 2019, since Textron won't want too many procross Yamaha parts leftover if they are considerably changing the line-up for 2020.

All-in-all, disappointing as someone who was considering a new sled for 2019, as a sidewinder is out of my price range, and the viper isn't offered in something that really interests me. Being a bad year for riding with little snow doesn't encourage me to spend money either, so this does help my bank account!

 

[zr7cat]

I just saw this posting from Kip the owner of Pat's Motorsport's on the John Dee website:

My guess was correct. I normally order 70 to 80 new Yamaha's a year. Most dealers are going to be lucky to get 2!!!!!!!!!! That's not a misprint. Yamaha will rely 90% on their snow check program. They want to create a demand for their product and bring value to their used market. I say kudos to them for doing this. It's a bold move but I think it's the right one. Starting at 10 eastern time today each Yamaha dealer can order 3 2018 or 2017 models per day until they're all gone and models are limited!!!! If you want a Yamaha I strongly suggest you either order a new 2019 snow check or you get a 17 or 18!!! I doubt anyone saw this coming so it's going to be scramble for dealers and customers

!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!

Ya big scramble to buy $17, 000 sleds......

 

[zr7cat]

I hate to say it but we are seeing the last of Yamaha snowmobiles and I'm not saying just the Japan built sleds. This is a sad day. I was afraid of this when Textron bought Cat!

Blame Textron??? How about Yamaha, sled building going down the tubes!!! Yamaha will be nothing but a collectors item. Buy as many as you can now!!!!

 

[Farmer 73]

Blame Textron??? How about Yamaha, sled building going down the tubes!!! Yamaha will be nothing but a collectors item. Buy as many as you can now!!!!

I'm not blaming just Textron, in fact they seen an opportunity and took it! Yamaha should have seen this coming and somehow prepared for it! What bothers me the most is that Yamaha and Textron will talk out of both sides of their mouths to keep the faithful in the barn till they pull the plug at the last minute and leave us all hanging! I hate big corporate!

 

[ClutchMaster]

I think this is a great move. Maybe it will inspire the other 3 to do the same next season. Untill winter's come around there is no need for lots of new sleds or new tech for that matter.

Huh? Has to be the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

 

[ClutchMaster]

Yea that’s great for the consumer, we get to pay more because we’re fanatics.
Harley Davidson did this for years to drive the price up, marketing strategy, yea exactly what I want to happen.....NOT

Create a shortage

 

[jason22]

Excuses excuses that’s all you hear from Yamaha and from most. On TY.
Always have an excuse why. Yamaha is doing anything.
Yamaha wonders why there not selling sleds
Well
1 - they don’t listen to their customers ( the people who buy their products)
2- they are stupidly over priced I don’t care what you say.
3- they screwed up back in 03 when they put all their eggs in one basket.
4- they are way to heavy. I don’t care what you say. Everyone knows it. Not everyone stays on groomed trails.
5- not everyone wanted 4 strokes.

And now their paying the price.
I’ve waited long enough. Maybe one day all be back. When they figure out what a 2 stroke is.
Until then I’ll be waiting for my ‘19 Gade X to come in.

 

[1nc 2000]

Yamaha needs a marketing department!