http://www.ducati.com/company/pr_eng_2443_0_price_sensitive_press_release_160108.pdf
http://www.ducati.com/company/ps_ita_1061_0_ducati_plan_2008-2010.pdf
Hot off the scanner by the look of it!
China here they come…
Global sourcing is fine so long as they take a lot of time to ensure that the suppliers are going to give consistent product at the right quality.
The experience of many manufacturers is that buying from low cost regions (such as China) results in a loss of consistency. They need to make sure that the suppliers do not ignore material specs, tolerances, finish, etc. The atitude of ‘if it looks about the same it will do’ will cost the company in money and reputation. A bad retutation about quality lasts for years.
I hope that they get it right and don’t just jump on the bandwagon of thinking that it makes for easy cost savings.
Roger
It’s not just about cheaper parts. Though this is the prime motivation I would agree. But I think they also see global sourcing as a way to use currencies better.
With the strength of the Euro they’ve taken a bit hit on the profitability of US sales in the last few years.