How many of you would pay more $$ for a USA built sled

[TRACKS USA]

Polaris

I have to agree with "thefullmonte" above regarding product quality and performance. I literally quite purchasing Polaris snow products 3 years ago due to gross misrepresentation of performance perameters and failure by Polaris or their dealers to remedy the deficient product.
At the same time, I have to say that multiple purchases of their Ranger products shows them to be a truely well engineered and assembled piece of merchandise.
That past 40-50 years has shown us that when American industry does not respond to the desires of the buying public then products made overseas find their way into the market place. It has happened in every industry--heavy equipment, farm equipment, autos, motorcycles to name just a few. We are exceedingly close to it succeeding in the snowmobile industry with the Michigan company having already introduced a "made in China" product but needing to get it perfected and/or EPA approved.
John Deere is about as true an American product as there is and its products are made with parts and components from all around the globe. But they have ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AND PRODUCT QUALITY 2nd to none in virtually everything made. These factors gives them consumer acceptance. Something Polaris could take a lesson from.

 

[Mjunkie]

I don't blame a company that to remain profitable and competitive has to move work to another country, to me it's just another sign of where the great US of A is headed. The only people to blame are ourselves and the people we choose to lead us.

 

[turboless terry]

I live in a small community and have seen the same arguments for doing business locally and it always seems like the ones that gripe the most are the first ones to go out of town to spend their money. Sometimes you can't get what you want but most of the time it is because it's cheaper. People take the businesses, in town, for granted. It is fine when you have to go out of town, once in a while, but it sucks when you have to. Look at all the politicians and unions the american people voted in and you have to wonder who is to blame. I bet it gets worse before it gets better.

 

[jhurkot]

so before everyone was complaining about fit and finish on the polaris sleds (sloppy silicone on bulkhead and that famous gap between the airbox and the hood that would suck in snow). but now that they are relocating to mexico everyone jumps up and down saying they "would pay more" for something built in the USA. i'd much rather see them make this move then go out of business entirely. then we'd really have something to complain about.

 

[Jaynelson]

I live in a small community and have seen the same arguments for doing business locally and it always seems like the ones that gripe the most are the first ones to go out of town to spend their money.

I live in the same type of location and would definetly agree with this statement. Lots of local people who are paid salaries out of local taxes are the first to make big purchases out of town.

 

[sp_20022006]

I am pretty sure that they stated in the article that the snowmobile manufacture will stay put and it will be ATV's and side by sides moving south

 

[GKR]

One key undertone here that I see is that if people want to stand up for "built in America" because we need to protect our interests (yes I am Canadian but same thing applies for us) we better start to talk the talk and walk the walk. If we are to support the higher cost and assumed higher quality of made at home then we should be ensuring that we truly do build in the quality we stand up for. The problem I see today is that the domestic manufacturing does not produce the best quality anymore. Whether it is from time pressure on the assembly line or workers attitude and lack of attention to detail or any other combo of reasons the bottom line is the "made in the USA" claim is not backed with pride and the extra effort we would like to believe. It comes from an entitlement attitude where we expect the highest wages, best work conditions, etc. but we remain bitter and hold our employers hostage for more and more but build with a spiteful attitude rather than a real effort backed with pride.
In my exposure to the many products that are creeping in from 3rd world countries their quality is improving substantially where ours is neutral at best if not delining in an effort to stay competative.
Look at the auto industry. When the Japanese cars started making it into the NA market they handed us our ****s in quality and durability. After years of this same soul searching and complaining the domestic big three can now produce a similar quality vehicle. It may have some offshore product content yes, but it was a change of attitude that allowed the domestic manufacturers to compete AND produce quality.
The success of keeping this stuff built in NA is an attitude adjustment, some sacrifices by all levels of business and a genuine committment to build the best for the lowest possible price right here at home. Today I think we expect the best but everyone is not held accountable for this outcome.

 

[turboless terry]

The unions have caused a lot of the problem. These companies can't keep paying the benefits they ask for. They may have been started for a good reason but that was lost long ago. I have been in the unions so i have been around the block a time or two and know what goes on. Some of the jobs they are saying are specialized a two year old could do if you showed them. That drives cost up.I have seen more people sleeping on union jobs. IN the real world people like that get weaned out. It takes an act of congress in the union and government. When I worked for the union everone is always worried about someone else stealing their job. We couldn't even fix the plug on are electric cords. You had to waste time and send it to the electricians. If everyone would just do their job and quit worrying about what everyone else is doing a lot more would get done. People gripe about whacko enviros camping out in trees or strapping themselves to skidders, and wonder why the don't have anything else to do with their time. Don't people work? Then you stand around on a street corner picketing for more of something. What's the difference? Good companies will take care of their employees and the bad one's will suffer because they didn't. You can't give people a $1 an hour raise every year for the rest of their lives. The good employees you can't do enough to keep and the bad ones you can't get to quit. Everone sees you making money and they think you should keep giving more and more. That is what they are their for, is to make you money. If they don't like it go and start their own company and see how it goes. The problem with the work force is everyone wants something for nothing. Hence, the administration that was voted in. Until people start realizing that you aren't guarranteed the american dream you are only guarranteed a shot at it there will be more companies going out of the country.

 

[cat rider]

I am pretty sure that they stated in the article that the snowmobile manufacture will stay put and it will be ATV's and side by sides moving south

This is true, one of my best friends is a Polaris engineer.

 

[MARV1]

Look at the Blade line, where now? Redline, poof.

 

[couch]

You only have to look at WALMART .... most people want more stuff at a cheaper price!!!!! Much of the brand name "stuff" is made overseas .... like the Imac I'm sitting in front of .... still cost mucho $$$$.

It boils down to where most companies can make the most money in the easiest way possible ... here in Newfoundland, some of the fish is exported to China for processing then shipped back to Canada for packaging .... its all about the margins (or level of greed)!!!

Some items / products will continue to be higher quality regardless of where it is produced / manufactured - have seen high quality items made overseas and similar items made domestically that are crap and vise versa..

Over time it tends to even out .... manufacturing / call centres, etc. moved to Japan, Mexico, Taiwan, China, India and on so on .... $ of shipping started to explode two years ago some some of it returned back to Canada and US.

I tend to buy the best quality within my price range regardless of country of origin and all things being equal will buy domestic / local when the cost difference is minimal.

 

[Stack]

Unless you have truly been involved with the business aspects of off-shoring a particular assembly or product it is really hard to form an educated opinion on this topic. It is not so cut and dry.....its not at all about "I only buy American"

Although I still consider myself green I have been in Operations Management for Manufacturing facilities over the last 8 years. I have seen my fair share of domestic mfg, "Made in the USA" which was only true to a certain extent. Sure we fabricated components in house, painted, assembled, etc.... but many of those part's used in the final assembly come from a domestic supplier who has them made in Mexico, China, etc.... You will be hard pressed to find someone making product that is all 100% domestic.

Now, I realize the negative connotation around outsourcing overseas, and I have seen many companies fail while trying to save money going with China or Mexico. Like others have posted above, a successful plan to move product or assemblies from domestic to overseas has to due with your quality program. If you have your own MFG facility in a foreign country it is easier to control, but when you source parts or assemblies from another company that is where things become tricky.

In this day and age nobody wants to carry inventory, and with things so tight you have a lot riding on that order which is set to arrive in house on a predetermined date. If that order arrives with quality issues, and is put on hold, you end up losing $$ on lost sales, engineering and quality time with calls, emails etc.... Then possible travel expenses to visit the company overseas to get everything figured out. All this while the line is still shut down because the part has a 45 day lead time and all the inventory has been rejected due to an overseas supplier's quality. Everything is great on paper when you first make that move to buy at a better price from China or Mexico, but when problems develop, the cost savings can get eaten up quickly. Problems that can be handled in a matter of 3-5 days domestically can last several weeks into months when dealing with an overseas supplier.

If Polaris can instill their MFG culture on the workforce in Mexico then there is no reason to believe they can not be successful. It all comes down to the management at the plant providing the proper training, and getting the new workers entrenched into the "Polaris Way" Quality is they key to success with this move, and I believe Polaris will pull it off without any major issues. Of course with a move like this there are growing pains during start-up, we will just have to see how it plays out in the long term. It is always disappointing to see us lose domestic jobs, but that is an entire topic all its own. There are many many factors involved with that, and the only thing I can say is that we need a revolution of engineering and a rebirth of the trades in this country.

John

 

[05900]

Being as there is not a Mexican sled produced I guess I'll keep buying Polaris!
And the SOB's cost $$$$$$ So I guess I do pay more for an all AMERICAN sled.

 

[firecatguy]

well the good news here is "American made" does happen!!!!

http://www.cnbc.com/id/37625497/Arctic_Cat_to_build_snowmobile_engines_in_US

 

[YETIms]

my dream sled is german engine, japanese quality, french design and manufactured in US for 5000 usd

 

[Clarke673]

I don't realy care where it came from. I buy things for quality. I buy polaris because it has the quality of design that makes me feal like i am in controll. I buy KTM dirtbikes because they are the highest quality and make me feal in controll. Regardless of where the sleds are being manufactured, they should all have higher product control!

 

[PJ-Hunter]

NO. Sleds are over-priced to begin with. 12-15k for a stock 800 Mountain Sled of ay brand is just plain outrageous.

As for Poo moving manufacturing operations to Mexico, well that sucks! They pull a genious maneuver and snag Burandt then pull some dumb chit and move South? The economy in the USA is in the crapper because of moves like this, even more so now in MN because so many American workers are laid off/fired from Polaris. Every company and every person in this country b*tches and moans about the current economic situation but yet no companies are doing anything about, instead they move to where the labor is dirt frigging cheap. What product is really made 100% in th USA. Practically none. Computers, clothing, cars, bikes, TVs and so on are all made in 3rd world countries. It's wrong. But what are we to do, we can't boycott. That would mean that we couldn't drive to work, write proposals on the computer, eat lunch kept cold in a fridge, blah blah blah.

I'm not going any further as I'm sure somebody will turn it into a race issue.

FYI, I ride a XP where everything is made and assembled in Canada, with exception to the motor. But I'm 25% Canadian so that's ok.

As far as dirt bikes there are NONE made in the USA. Honda, Yamaha, Kawisaki, Suzuki are all made in Japan. KTM is german or something like that.

 

[barkbuster]

From a local news article. "In May Polaris announced plans to sell, or close it's Osceola, Wis. plant by 2012 and open a new facility in Mexico. The changes are expected to cost more than $43 million...The company expects to save $30 million a year when the transition is complete." How much of that $30 million in savings do you think they will pass on to us?

 

[hivoltagesledhead]

Would they be cheaper for us Canadians.....you know...because the Canadian built sleds aren't even cheap.

 

[Jaynelson]

Nothing's cheap welcome to 2010