So, if you were in charge of the MOCO, how many, and which type of "White Collar" employees would you ax to help get the moco back back on the right track? Would you think they might be a bit "top heavy" at this point?.......... Or, what would you do to fix the MOCO?

 

Impossible to answer without knowing the specifics of what they have, in what departments, etc.

 

I would cut the execs, who are essentially not there to make any profit.

 

I would break the union plain and simple. Move the MoCo down South were people want to work. Pay competitive wages, offer competitive benefits with options of owning company stock. Those are a few things I'd do.

 

I'd trim all levels except engineering, which I would tell that they need to think outside of the box if they want to keep their jobs. I would also tell the Union to take concessions or I'd move the plants to a right to work state. And I wouldn't end the Buell line!

 

Oh boy, I will sit back on this one and watch the **** storm from the sidelines.

even though I agree with the statement somewhat.

 

I would make it a true American company again. EVERYTHING made in America all the way down to the leather gloves and as stated above, without union.

 

I would use my lifeboat theory. If you can't row, can't fish, don't have a compass---your bait. The company would fit the market that is left with a sharp eye to the future. If you don't contribute---your bait.

 

Man - lots of union hate.

Hard to say - if I were harley, I'd be doing some serious soul searching. They've made a certain kind of bike for a long time. I'd do some market research and figure out what kind of bike people would pay top dollar for and try and build those. If its the same as what they currently sell, I'd do way better marketing to a larger audience. I'd primarilly try and get my marketing team to make sure that any movie that comes out with a motorcycle in it is featuring some sort of Harley.

The main thing Harley really has to do is attract the younger crowd. Whether that's through selling to Grandpas and Dads and exposing their kids to bikes, or marketing directly to younger people.

The next thing I'd do is try and refresh the brand. Harleys have a great rep for building "cool" bikes, but until I went to a dealer, I had no clue what the bikes even looked like. I thought they were very expensive, (I thought bikes started at $18-20k) and not as reliable as the Japanese bikes, (based on my perception of the American car manufacturers). They really need to look at dissolving that part of their brand and getting people to associate their product with something that you can give to your kids and wont cost you your left arm.

In terms of "cutting the fat" - its hard to say without knowing. There are execs that pull their weight, and execs that don't. What you're usually paying an exec for is the experience they have to make hard decisions that can make or break the company. Its hard to know which ones know what they're doing and are in it for the long haul.

 

If you were the boss of the MOCO?

I would move it to Tennessee!!