Mandello factory closure

[Tom M]

http://www.visordown.com/motorcyclenews/vi...guzzi/5586.html

 

Their headline says "factory set to close" while the article says "likely to result in the closure of ..." . So is this definite, probable, or just a guess by these alleged journalists?

 

"Piaggio gobbles up Moto Guzzi

By Visordown News

Historic Moto Guzzi factory set to close as a result of new merger

 

PIAGGIO is merging its wholly-owned Moto Guzzi subsidiary with the parent company in a move likely to result in the closure of the historic Moto Guzzi factory at Mandello Del Lario, where the marque has been based since its inception in 1921.

This merger, which will be completed at management level by the end of November, will create a single global competitor on the two-wheeler market in terms of size and resources, according to Piaggio. And while the distinguishing characteristics of the Moto Guzzi brand will remain intact, it permits what the parent calls “significant economies of scale by rationalising the technical, industrial, design and style operations of the two companies”.

 

Industry analysts expect a transfer of production and related activities to Aprilia's base at Noale near Venice or the main Piaggio plant at Pontedera near Pisa. The latter probably has plenty of spare capacity after the off-shoring of much of its 50cc scooter output to China and light truck manufacturing to India. "

[dabore84]

Keep part of the factory as a museum and start building a new line in the Piaggio factory. I think this is good news, because the the factory in Mandello Del Lario is out dated.

[Dan M]

Keep part of the factory as a museum and start building a new line in the Piaggio factory. I think this is good news, because the the factory in Mandello Del Lario is out dated.

 

I agree. A modernized assembly plant could only improve quality.

[rocker59]

I think it sucks.

 

It makes Moto Guzzi no different than Oldsmobile or Plymouth.

 

A name brand with no hard assets.

 

We all know what happened to them.

 

Personally, I think leaving Mandelo and just being a brand of Piaggio Group takes away much of the reasons that I fell in love with Moto Guzzi 25 years ago when the LMIII was new.

 

I'll hope for the best, but I am worried...

[luhbo]

It's only two weeks or so since we've had this topic under the question "MG back to MotoGP" you might remember.

 

Tell you what: this is the historic moment when Guzzi finally went out of business after (how many?) years. MG soon will be history as it is Gilera or as it is Mondial or in the very same way as it is Laverda! No factory at Mandello - no Moto Guzzi! No Breganze - no Laverda.

This was the first thing this smart cheek to cheek smiley Beggio did: he sold the buildings to someone private.

 

R.I.P.

 

Last weekend I've been to Italy and a friend there told me about rumours that there might be plans to bring Gilera back to MotoGP. Well, why not, Gilera had developed the later on so successfull MV engines. Good luck to them.

 

Hubert

 

For a small brand like MG this factory was all they had to bind old customers and to find new ones that wanted to become also a part of the myth! Such things don't get "outdated"! Bullshit!

Piaggio had enough money to clean up one or two halls down there to assemble the new models, even Guzzi somehow was able to get the money for that.

[luhbo]

I think it sucks.

.....

I'll hope for the best, but I am worried...

 

I'm with you...

 

Hubert

 

Now something different comes to me: here we had the MZ factory, as old as MG or maybe even older. Actually you could buy it for 5 million euros. A lot of money you think.

But not if you know that those smart boys which dig 700 billion USD holes in public pockets are making 5 millions per month!

[Bbennett]

I take this as very bad news. The people who work there - surely some will decline to relocate to the new factory line and that is an issue with a storied brand like MG. I think they missed an opportunity to move newer models to the new line and continue to have some R&D and limited high end (hand made) model production in Mandello to retain people and not de-value the brand. The property would have only gotten more valuable in time at Mandello anyways. I admit that I have never visited the Mandello facility and base my opinion only on what I have read.

 

Bob

[pete roper]

Jesus. Everyone goes on about poor quality control, expensive bikes and parts and a host of other issues and then when someone, even though it is a huge transnational corporation, tries to drag the company kicking and screaming into the later part of the 20'th century everybody starts shrieking about how important Mandello is.

 

HAve you ever been to the factory? It's a crumbling, tween-wars Fascist edifice right in the centre of a small town. It is quite possibly one of the WORST sites for a modern manufacturing plant possible. Its a dreadful dump! Yes of course the history is important but the museum can be kept there and there will continue to be strong links to Mandello as Gillardoni and a host of other suppliers are there.

 

I'm sorry but I find this sort of lachrymose sentimentality a bit stomach turning.

 

Oh and the Gilera 4's had nothing in common with and were not developments of the MV 4's. Different machines, different companies.

 

Pete

[Dan M]

Jesus. Everyone goes on about poor quality control, expensive bikes and parts and a host of other issues and then when someone, even though it is a huge transnational corporation, tries to drag the company kicking and screaming into the later part of the 20'th century everybody starts shrieking about how important Mandello is.

 

HAve you ever been to the factory? It's a crumbling, tween-wars Fascist edifice right in the centre of a small town. It is quite possibly one of the WORST sites for a modern manufacturing plant possible. Its a dreadful dump! Yes of course the history is important but the museum can be kept there and there will continue to be strong links to Mandello as Gillardoni and a host of other suppliers are there.

 

I'm sorry but I find this sort of lachrymose sentimentality a bit stomach turning.

 

Oh and the Gilera 4's had nothing in common with and were not developments of the MV 4's. Different machines, different companies.

 

Pete

 

I'm with you Pete. If they do indeed create a modern assembly plant, it would be a major commitment. I'd think they they would want to protect their investment and pour more money into R&D.

[Steve G.]

Jesus. Everyone goes on about poor quality control, expensive bikes and parts and a host of other issues and then when someone, even though it is a huge transnational corporation, tries to drag the company kicking and screaming into the later part of the 20'th century everybody starts shrieking about how important Mandello is.

 

HAve you ever been to the factory? It's a crumbling, tween-wars Fascist edifice right in the centre of a small town. It is quite possibly one of the WORST sites for a modern manufacturing plant possible. Its a dreadful dump! Yes of course the history is important but the museum can be kept there and there will continue to be strong links to Mandello as Gillardoni and a host of other suppliers are there.

 

I'm sorry but I find this sort of lachrymose sentimentality a bit stomach turning.

 

Oh and the Gilera 4's had nothing in common with and were not developments of the MV 4's. Different machines, different companies.

 

Pete

 

It is kind of difficult to hear this kind of news.

I was at the factory 2 wks ago, and was alarmed, the place is crumbling, everywhere you look, it's just buggered. It rained the day before, and the place was leaking everywhere, flooded, cracked, just a money pit!

I can understand the employees not wanting to move, it's much nicer along Como, than down south.

Conversations we had with people who know these things say that Piaggio is in trouble, so it makes perfect sense really.

The more I think about it, those of use who currently own Mandello bikes will see a value boost, as the new production facility will be automatically married to the name Moto Guzzi, just as those in the know now call Triumphs Hinckley Triumphs, in reference to the Merican Triumphs earlier.

 

Steve

[Greg Field]

With the factory goes the beating heart of Guzzi. Everything, from design to pricing will be done by the fucktard scooter nerds at Piaggio. By concentrating on the production facilities, you miss the point entirely.

 

Harleys are built in many places. They are designed in only one. That place is Milwaukee, where the beating heart of that company throbs undiminished after 100 years and after several changes of ownership.

 

The pulse from Mandello just flat-lined . . .

 

This sucks beyond the ability of words to express. I knew this was coming, but it is still a black day.

[Guzzirider]

Aprilia are about to enter WSB and have signed Max Biaggi, and racing is a massive moneypit. A surprising move if the parent company really is in that much trouble.

 

In my view, survival is more important than sentimentality- if moving to a modern complex keeps Guzzi in business then it needs to be done.

 

Saying that, I would not consider Visordown as the oracle so the story may not be true.

[luhbo]

Well said. That's how I feel.

 

.......

The pulse from Mandello just flat-lined . . .

 

This sucks beyond the ability of words to express. I knew this was coming, but it is still a black day.

 

Ofcourse other places have better roofs, parking and turning possibilities for lorries, enough space for huge production lines and whatever more. The point is, they could find all this for even less money in China or India. If they move, they have moved probably, they could label everything as Guzzi and bring it to the market.

And btw. I can't see any reason why Mandello should stand for bad quality. As one has mentioned already, there's lot of industry, Lafranconi, Gillardoni and others, suppliers for names like BMW to mention just one.

 

Oh and you don't need to be a genius to see a difference between MV and Gilera

 

Hubert

[pete roper]

Well said. That's how I feel.

 

 

 

Ofcourse other places have better roofs, parking and turning possibilities for lorries, enough space for huge production lines and whatever more. The point is, they could find all this for even less money in China or India. If they move, they have moved probably, they could label everything as Guzzi and bring it to the market.

And btw. I can't see any reason why Mandello should stand for bad quality. As one has mentioned already, there's lot of industry, Lafranconi, Gillardoni and others, suppliers for names like BMW to mention just one.

 

Oh and you don't need to be a genius to see a difference between MV and Gilera

 

Hubert

 

Hubert, somebody, (My viewing of this forum now seems to require me to scroll down a lsit of replies rather than look at 'em one under the other, probably some failing to understand somthing on my part.) stated that Gilera were a development of MV. All I was doing is pointing out that they aren't.

 

Greg? Times change. In a lot of ways I'd love to see a small, independent Moto Guzzi based in Mandello but it just isn't viable. You think so? Explain to me a business model where you could see it working. I agree that the homegenuity of all *Motorbike Product* as with many other things is becoming tiresome but I still maintain that *a* Moto Guzzi of some form, as long as it isn't simply an excercise in badge engineering, is better than *no* Moto Guzzi. If we get Guzzi badged Aprilias, as we got Guzzi badged Benelis, (And Motobi badged Benelis.) then I would agree, the name, if not the company, is dead but at the moment I remain cautiously hopefull that all is not lost.

 

I may be quite wrong, perhaps it is one of my few optimistic traits that I hope Guzzi will struggle on with their own identity, and I don't see that as being absolutely rusted on to Mandello del Lario....

 

Pete

[luhbo]

Hubert, somebody, (My viewing of this forum now seems to require me to scroll down a lsit of replies rather than look at 'em one under the other, probably some failing to understand somthing on my part.) stated that Gilera were a development of MV. All I was doing is pointing out that they aren't....

 

OK then, let's deal with it positively

 

I wrote it the other way round: MV was based on developements done under Gilera. Gilera left the GP circus together with MG, so their racing engineer was obsolete, he moved to MV and took the drawings and ideas with him. That's what I have read at least. Have you seen pictures of the late Gileras once?

 

...I may be quite wrong, perhaps it is one of my few optimistic traits that I hope Guzzi will struggle on with their own identity, and I don't see that as being absolutely rusted on to Mandello del Lario....

 

They have now taken them the last bit of identity they had left. No more MG engineering, no more MG styling since some months already, and now even no more MG place.

 

Hubert