Michael Aistrup

  • Briggs & Stratton Files Chapter 11, Sets Sale Agreement

    Briggs & Stratton (B&S) one of the  largest producers of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment, and a manufacturer of power generation, pressure washer, lawn and garden, turf care and job site products, has filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

    Michael Aistrup
    Michael Aistrup

    The company has obtained $677.5 million in financing, with $265 million committed by KPS and the remaining $412.5 from the company’s existing group of lenders.

    B&S also announced it has entered into a definitive stock and asset purchase agreement with KPS Capital Partners. Under the terms of the agreement, an affiliate of KPS formed for purposes of this transaction has agreed to acquire substantially all the company’s assets and assume certain customer, employee and vendor liabilities.

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  • Powersports Industry Leading Economic Comeback

    The Powersports industry–featuring ATVs, motorcycles and watercraft–appears to be leading the way on the road to economic recovery. According to Motorcycle & Powersports News magazine, this increased demand for powersports is helping values bounce back from historic lows.

    Michael Aistrup
    Michael Aistrup

    According to Scott Yarbrough, senior analyst for motorcycle and powersports at Black Book: “After the first month of the COVID-19, shutdowns put a freeze on powersports values during the beginning of the spring selling season, and the second month saw dramatic declines.

    This month values are up across the board, some by the largest amounts we have ever seen in a monthly update. A combination of surprisingly strong demand, coupled with drops in availability of units, has led to this resurgence in values,”

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  • COVID-19 Cuts Results at Harley-Davidson, Polaris

    Harley-Davidson Q1 2020 Sales Plunge 15.5%

    Harley-Davidson said US sales were up 6.6% in the quarter before the pandemic ground the economy to a halt in mid-March. But sales wound up plunging 15.5% in America compared to a year ago and 20.7% internationally. Overall revenue slipped 8% from last year’s first quarter.

    For the quarter, Harley-Davidson posted earnings of $69.7 million compared with $127.9 million in the same period a year ago.

    Michael Aistrup
    Michael Aistrup

    Harley-Davidson’s share in the U.S. heavyweight motorcycle market share was down 2.2 percentage points, to 48.9% and the company’s share of the heavyweight motorcycle market in Europe was 7.6% in the first quarter.

    In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Harley has reduced planned capital spending, frozen hiring, temporarily reduced salaries, eliminated merit increases for employees in 2020 and changed the timing of new product launches in order to preserve $250 million in 2020.

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  • Outdoor Recreation Group Creates COVID-19 Guide

    The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), a coalition of outdoor recreation trade associations and organizations, has published on their web site (www.recreationalroundtable .org) a guide for their members on the Outdoor Recreation Industry and the Coronavirus. Included on the site are Federal, State and Industry Resources, ORR’s letter to the President, Governors and Federal Government on the impact and recommendations to the Coronavirus crisis.

    The site also has suggestions on what small businesses…

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  • 2019 GIE+Expo Posts Strong Growth. Battery Technology Continues Hot

    GIE+EXPO: The Green Industry & Equipment Expo

    GIE+EXPO is the annual gathering for all segments of the outdoor power equipment and lawn and landscape industry. The event is sponsored by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, the Professional Grounds Management Society and the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

    This year, the show drew more than 26,500 people from around the world. The indoor exhibit floor and the Outdoor Demonstration Area covered 24,000 net sq. ft. more than last year.

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  • Small Engines Placing Big Demands on Lubes

    This article appeared in the April 2017 issue of Compoundings Magazine, published by ILMA (Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association)

    Recently, off-road industrial and recreational vehicle engines have become increasingly larger and higher performing. The result is a demand for these once smaller engines in increasingly difficult situations, and performance demands placed upon engine lubricants used by off-road industrial and recreational…

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