Let's step back a little for a moment. In no particular order of importance:
First, Polaris has huge brand loyalty, in the ATV/snowmobile field there are a lot of folks who are just as loyal to Polaris as the H-D faithful are to their brand. I'm confident that Polaris thinks this is what they need to do to remain competitive.
Second, in Cheesehead's second post, he says, "The village president says all operations will be moved to Mexico in the next couple of years." If she did indeed say that, I question her source. Why would the president of a self-described village be privy to the long-term business plan of a company the size of Polaris?
Third, it's being reported in the Twin Cities media (Mpls/St. Paul) that the Osceola plant manufactures seats. Sourcing seats from Mexico is a far cry from moving the entire company to Mexico...
Fourth, the article in the link in Cheesehead's first post states that some of the jobs will go to Roseau, MN (Polaris' ancestral home) and Spirit Lake, IA (main Victory plant, IIRC). It also says that the jobs are going to be "ramped down" over 18-24 months. While we have no way of knowing how many jobs will go to the MN/IA plants, or to know how many jobs will be cut how quickly. At least they're giving folks a heads-up. Thankfully, I've never had the experience of coming in to work and being told that I'm done, effective immediately. Unfortunately, there's been a lot of that going on lately, across the board, in many industires.
