[NEWS]
Husqvarna inaugurated new Headquarters
The new Development and Operations Centre of the motorcycle manufacturer, recently acquired by the BMW Group, opened its doors in September
The inaugural ceremony of the new Husqvarna Motorcycles Headquarters was held on the 21st September at
Cassinetta di Biandronno (Italy). The new facility expands the site of the motorcycle manufacturer. Hendrik Von Kuenheim, President of BMW Motorrad, and Rainer Thoma,
President and Managing Director of Husqvarna Motorcycles, attended the ceremony with the employees, the media and civil society representatives. Construction works began on
2nd July 2008 lasting less than 15 months.
“The new Headquarters and its organisation”, declared Rainer Thoma, President and Managing Director of Husqvarna
Motorcycles, “have been planned to facilitate the development of the product and to integrate all the production units
involved in the creation process of the entire Husqvarna Motorcycles range in an optimal manner. The structure has been designed to face the foreseen growth in the medium term and to be expanded in the long term. For example, the
production capacity of the plant can, with only minor further changes, arrive at a quota of 40,000 motorcycles a year”.
The facility hosts an engine division and roller test beds next to a Training Centre for the engineers which includes the Husqvarna after-sales service.
The Styling Centre and the Development Division are organised in such a way as to assure the maximum concentration on the product.
Acquisitions and Market Research departments work closely with the Development Division, ensuring close collaboration with suppliers.
Dedicated areas for the presentation of new models have also been foreseen. Facing the road, the windows of the Husqvarna Motorcycles showroom are easily visible and accessible from the outside. This space is meant to showcase the company’s top models and the finest photographs of the sporting events around the world; it is destined to become the pulsing heart of the firm and a Mecca for all fans of the Husqvarna brand.
A tradition dating back more than a century, Husqvarna Motorcycles were acquires in 2007 by BMW Group. Swedish in origin and centuries-old (it was founded over 300 years ago), the Husqvarna brand launched its first motorcycle in 1903: a velocipede with a single-cylinder engine delivering 1.5 hp and offering a top speed of 50 kph.
Today, Husqvarna Motorcycles has 262 employees (there were 223 before the arrival of BMW) at its Cassinetta di Biandronno site and occupies an area of 35,000 square metres. Between October 2007 and 30th August 2009, 23,540 motorcycles were produced. The fruit of a strong vocation for technological innovation and an enormous technical and sporting heritage, the current range includes 21 models divided between the Enduro, Motocross, Supermotard and Dual Purpose categories. These are flanked by other exceptional products, themselves the result of the research and sporting experience Husqvarna Motorcycles has acquired in off-road disciplines: the accessories and spare parts for motorcycles and the collection of technical clothing and racing accessories for bikers.
[INDEX]
EESC PUBLIC HEARING ON EUROPEAN PTW INDUSTRY
THE PTW SECTOR AND THE ECONOMIC CRISIS
SPAIN'S STRUGGLE TO FIGHT THE CRISIS IN THE PTW SECTOR
WHO ADOPTS DECLARATION ON ROAD SAFETY
ELECTRIC PTW PRESENTED IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ESUM PROJECT