International Dealer News IDN 143 June/July 2018 | Page 48

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NEWS

BRIEFS

Race Winning Brands ( RWB ), the Mentor , Ohio based parent company of Dutch piston and performance specialist ProX Racing Parts , has bought Rekluse , the Boise , Idaho based clutch manufacturer . A “ portfolio company ” of Kinderhook Industries Llc ( of New York , who bought the then ProX parent company PMI from Dover Corp in early 2007 ), RWB , which describes itself as a “ leading manufacturer of high-performance and racing application focused components ”, also owns Wiseco and JE Pistons among others .
Eicher Motors ( Royal Enfield parent company ) and Polaris Industries have closed down the ‘ Multix ’ personal utility vehicle manufacturing joint venture they established in 2012 . Despite initial success with the project , Eicher Polaris Pvt Ltd is said to have lost money throughout its operation , with a $ 14.13 m loss for the year ended March 2017 , taking Eicher ’ s total investment in the project to north of $ 40m .
American distribution and manufacturing giant MAG has successfully completed its reorganisation process and emerged from its bankruptcy protection filing of November 2017 . MAG is the parent company of well-known U . S . businesses such as distributor Tucker Rocky and parts and accessory brands and manufacturers such as Vance & Hines , Kuryakyn , Roland Sands , Performance Machine and UK based Renthal .
Monroe shock absorber and former Marzocchi Suspension owner Tenneco has bought Federal Mogul from controversial billionaire activist investor Carl Icahan for some $ 5.4bn . Federal Mogul owns a number of businesses and brands that make powersports industry product of various kinds , most notably Italy based Ferodo brakes and Champion spark plugs and filters .

Suzuki : increased net sales and income

Suzuki has announced that it closed out its 2017-2018 financial year ( 31-03- 18 ) with increased net sales and income and “ positive ” forecasts for its operating results for the next fiscal year . The consolidated net sales of the recently completed fiscal year ( April 2017 to March 2018 ) increased by 587.7 billion yen (+ 18.5 %) to 3,757.2 billion yen compared to the previous fiscal year . Their Japanese domestic net sales increased by 79.2 billion yen (+ 7.6 %) to 1,116.7 billion yen year-on-year , mainly owing to an increase in automobile sales . The overseas net sales increased by 508.5 billion yen ( 23.8 %) to 2,640.5 billion yen year-onyear , mainly owing to an increase in automobile and motorcycle sales in markets including India and Europe . In their motorcycle business , the net sales increased by 40.1 billion yen (+ 19.4 %) to 246.4 billion yen year-onyear , mainly owing to sales contribution of scooters in India and large displacement models in developed countries . The operating loss of 0.9 billion yen in the previous fiscal year improved to an operating income of 4.6 billion yen . With regard to the operating results by geographic region , Asia , Japan , Europe and other areas all saw increases in sales and income . Motorcycle unit sales to Europe were up by + 43.6 percent at 10,000 units for the fourth quarter ( January , February and March ) of 2018 , but remained down compared to the previous full year ( by -10.9 percent at 40,000 units ). North American sales for the year were up by 3,000 units to 35,000 /+ 10.6 percent ; domestic Japanese sales were -4 percent ( 60,000 units ); Asian sales were + 21.3 percent ( 1.261 m units ); total worldwide sales , including ATVs , were + 15.5 percent at 1.580 m units . Total global production was + 19 percent ( 1.630 m units ).

Yamaha : Q1 net sales revenue + 3.7 %; unit sales down in Europe

Reporting that earnings were “ up solidly in the first quarter ” and that profits rose “ in all major product categories ”, net sales for Yamaha Motor Co ., Ltd .' s consolidated accounting period for the first quarter of the fiscal year ending December 31 , 2018 [ the quarter ending March 31st 2018 ] were 405.6 billion yen , ( an increase of 19.5 billion yen or + 5.1 % compared with the same period the previous fiscal year ), and operating income was 41.2 billion yen ( an increase of 3.9 billion yen or 10.5 %). Profitability improvements continued in the emerging markets motorcycle , marine and industrial machinery and robots businesses , absorbing the effect of the appreciating yen , and leading to increased sales and income . In motorcycle terms , net sales were 241.2 billion yen ( an increase of 8.7 billion yen or + 3.7 % compared with the same period the previous fiscal year ), and operating income was 14.5 billion yen ( an increase of 0.6 billion yen or + 4.3 %). Unit sales in developed markets decreased due to factors such as a decline in total demand and irregular weather in Europe . Unit sales in emerging markets such as Indonesia , the Philippines and Brazil increased , but decreased in the Vietnamese market etc . Net sales decreased in developed markets due to an
appreciation of the yen and lower unit sales , whereas net sales increased in emerging markets thanks to increases in unit sales . In terms of operating income , high profitability was maintained in the ASEAN region , helping to increase income , but , due to decreased income in developed markets etc ., operating income overall was on par with the same period the previous fiscal year . No changes have been made to the anticipated consolidated business results for the fiscal year ending December 31 , 2018 , with sales forecast to reach 1,700.0 billion yen in net sales . 48 INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - JUNE / JULY 2018