We won’t begin to discuss all of the twists and turns encountered by KTM as a result of financial problems that led to its reorganization. We are happy to see that KTM is resuming production at its main plants in Austria, as described in the following press release:
KTM AG resumes production on all four lines
Structured restart ensures full operation and global delivery capability
Mattighofen (OTS) — KTM AG has resumed production on all four production lines at its main sites in Mattighofen and Munderfing. Following an intensive planning and preparation phase, around 1,000 production employees are now returning to normal operations. This will enable the company to meet the high international end customer demand for motorcycles from the KTM, Husqvarna, and GASGAS brands.
“Special thanks go to our employees, who have contributed significantly to making this restart possible with their great commitment, flexibility, and team spirit over the past few months. Their dedication during one of the most challenging phases has been and remains a key factor in the company’s continued development,” said KTM AG CEO Gottfried Neumeister, expressing his gratitude for the company’s strong team spirit. “The restart of production gives us the stability we need to focus fully on quality, customer proximity, and further development.”
All production areas will operate on day shifts, working a five-day week and full-time. The current work agreement for employees and workers is set to end at the end of July as planned. Production will run without interruption from July 28 until the regular Christmas break – a summer break is no longer planned. Supply chains have also been fully reactivated, to guarantee reliable supply and delivery worldwide.
Production will focus on the proven OFFROAD range – MX and Enduro Competition – with new models. At the same time, production of the completely new LC4 platform will start with popular KTM models, such as the 690 ENDURO R and 690 SMC R, as well as Husqvarna’s 701 Enduro and 701 Supermoto. The Mattighofen and Munderfing sites manufacture for the global market. “The restart is an important step – both organizationally and emotionally. Our teams have achieved extraordinary things in recent months. It is gratifying that we can now resume production at full capacity with a highly motivated team and a clear focus on high quality,” says Jakob Kohlmayer, Senior Vice President Production.
Close cooperation with the international dealer network remains a central component of the company’s strategy. With the new Dealer Excellence Center, KTM is establishing a structured point of contact to support its global sales partners and further strengthen customer satisfaction.
Alongside the resumption of operations, KTM is also intensifying its recruitment efforts. Employees are being sought in a wide range of areas, such as IT, finance, and marketing, particularly in Mattighofen and Munderfing. KTM offers applicants an international work environment as well as support with relocation and integration into the local community.
I happened to drop in at the local KTM dealer on another matter and then sat on some of the bikes. I thought they were pretty cool. I still can’t quite buy orange as a colorway though. But I’m glad they made it out of bankruptcy and reorganization.
Husky=white Gas Gas=red.
I think it’s odd that KTM doesn’t do a better job at styling the Huskies or the Gas Gas. Huskies looked really nice in the nineties and Gas Gas were real lookers just before KTM bought them. Now the Gas Gas are kind of a bland late nineties Honda red. What gives?
http://www.huskyclub.com/newhus.htm
https://transmoto.com.au/2015-gas-gas-updates/
I am running out of road on a very long riding career. A few learnings come with the miles. A bike with a great engine, great chassis, great brakes and light weight will always be a great bike. My KTM 690 Duke will be the last of my bikes to leave the stable.
As it should be. Underestimate a good single at your peril.
Itchy Boots and I agree. The thumping sound goes on forever.
I guess that I am different here in that I have not bought a KTM street bike. I have this bone in my head that says that they make race bikes. At that I must say that they have delivered for me. Every KTM that I purchased new worked at least as well as I had expected and one of them I will always remember fondly. There is no higher praise I have than that for any piece of equipment 9r its manufacture. Credit were it is due. It saddens me that they no longer produce a motorcycle that I would buy. I would absolutely have supported them in their hour of need. They earned it. I just wish I had a niece or nephew with a pulse that I could buy a bike for. It bums me out. They deserve my support.
I bet that the suppliers who got stiff for 70% of what they were owed feel differently.
I’m sure they do. KTM made so many good moves over the last couple of decades. That they would radically overproduce bikes and put themselves in such a hole boggles the mind. “Hold my beer while I put the hammer down and pretend we need to build bikes as fast as we can for a year and see what happens.”
I’ll bet the suppliers thought suddenly doubling sales to KTM thought that was really cool…until. Sometimes just standing there holding somebody’s beer is also dangerous. Particularly if you were the guy who brewed the beer.
KTM has a tough road ahead. When they were perceived to be an unstoppable motorcycle powerhouse consumers were willing to put up with some quality issues knowing that there was a strong company behind the products. Now, with the cam issue on the 790 series well known, and current issues (poor throttle mapping, kickstand cutouts…) and a reputation of releasing bikes before they are completely sorted out – not to mention charging for already installed features to unlock them – consumers will not be willing to hold their nose while they finance premium priced machines.
For a country that was considered more German than Germany in manufacturing, KTM has always dropped the ball whenever I’ve considered buying into the orange swirl, not that Germany is all that great for about the last 25 or 30 years.
Instrumentation electronics, fuel sloshing out of a tank, more vibration from a twin than a British thumper, squirrely brake bleeding attempts, mostly something new every time. For a long time could not get a street bike in my part of Washington. Sold them elsewhere, not here. Even the stupid looking Roman pointed battering ram front side panels. Fit, affordability, and reliability. Missing.
Nice color though.
I wish they would come out with a 125cc two cylinder street model. Remember the single cable twist grip, air cooled, carbed Yamy with the flat seat?
Now that was inspirational and cute as a puppy.
IMHO.
Note that they didn’t say anything about a new Gas Gas 690. Maybe the Gas Gas waits a year or so or maybe they go away all together. I always thought it strange that while the automotive industry was dropping brands, except Volkswagen, KTM was picking them up. I thought it odd that they made no effort to make the KTM Gas Gas bikes look anywhere near as nice as the last of the real Gas Gas bikes did. Those were some nice looking bikes. Husqvarna made some lookers in the mid nineties too. The motocross guys are a very style conscious bunch. The woods guys tended to like the old ugly silver KTM plastic because the stuff was super tough.
I’ve been destroying radiator shrouds lately. I gotta hand it to KTM for the design of those things. You can blast those things right off the radiator and they will stay put due to their clever design. Now if I could just get them to sell carbureted two strokes again. I get them cleaning things up a bit with the TPI bikes, but who are they trying to kid with the throttle body injection on the ones made to go fast? The carbureted bikes weren’t any dirtier and they are still faster. If you know how to jet them they run better too. Oh well, time moves on and the encrapification of everything continues. Why make something that’s simple and effective when you can make it complicated and failure prone? Heaven forbid!