Norton trouble

when I had my Cali 961 serviced at Donnington last July, an employee told me there were 100 staff: at £30k average cost each to the company, that’s £3million pa bill. That would be covered by £3k profit on 1000 bikes sold from HQ, except they didn’t sell anything like that many, and it doesn’t include any other costs...... the whole enterprise relied on other sources of money, clearly.
 
Dommie Nator said:
At the TT last year I spoke of the "TT Zero" race being the "TT Zero Interest Race"

I just wonder where all these cars will be charged if you don't have a drive or garage?
I'm not looking forward to the trailing cables across pavements as a pensioner.
Although a very rare occasion, people have managed to stay alive stuck in snowdrifts all night by keeping the engine and heater on.
Sigh...
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Unlikely to happened but I think we get your point, there are already EV PowerPoint posts in the UK even in places like underground supermarket car parks, sort of charge while u shop, I wonder how long it will be before one offers a kind of BOGOF to electric car owners? The Dft has already allocated £ 50m fund for local authorities to run electric buses. I wonder if one bus route will ever be converted in power sapping hilly area?
 
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jan nelder said:
when I had my Cali 961 serviced at Donnington last July, an employee told me there were 100 staff: at £30k average cost each to the company, that’s £3million pa bill. That would be covered by £3k profit on 1000 bikes sold from HQ, except they didn’t sell anything like that many, and it doesn’t include any other costs...... the whole enterprise relied on other sources of money, clearly.
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I keep hearing different stories from different places, one said SG had 25 staff on the floor (including /not including the cleaner?) Of which 15 were apprentices, do u think a few questions under the Freedom of Information Act would go amiss in this case?
 
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jan nelder said:
when I had my Cali 961 serviced at Donnington last July, an employee told me there were 100 staff: at £30k average cost each to the company, that’s £3million pa bill. That would be covered by £3k profit on 1000 bikes sold from HQ, except they didn’t sell anything like that many, and it doesn’t include any other costs...... the whole enterprise relied on other sources of money, clearly.
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I’d done similar maths too, but I reckon with all the apprentices the average bill was lower and I reckon the true fte
Headcount was lower too. There is also the servicing and parts income stream too which most dealerships will tell you is where the majority of income is these days.

Only 1 man knows the truth but it doesn’t seem to add up well on my fag packet.

Guys from the norton team are on this forum aren’t they? Obviously staying quiet right now and for good reasins but I’d love to hear from them.
 
Last I heard from a normally well-informed source were about 15 employees, probably boosted visually by the apprentices that the English goverment so kindly paid for. From memory that is about the staff level (including the apprentices!) I saw at CCM in the 1990s. Which I then saw as a little group of people in a shed, fumbling bikes together.
 
jan nelder said:
when I had my Cali 961 serviced at Donnington last July, an employee told me there were 100 staff: at £30k average cost each to the company, that’s £3million pa bill. That would be covered by £3k profit on 1000 bikes sold from HQ, except they didn’t sell anything like that many, and it doesn’t include any other costs...... the whole enterprise relied on other sources of money, clearly.
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'''
''Enterprise'' Even Garner could do those figures, which makes one query what just what his real motive was, to produce motorbikes - that sounds like Skinners forte, whilst Garner hid behind it and had other plans to make money for himself.
 
When I did a tour of Norton in Jan 2018, i reckon there were about 6 teams of 2 assembling the bikes, 2 others dyno testing, maybe 12 in the metal fabrication building amd perhaps another 8 in the offices. So about 34 at the time. They were gearing up for 100 or so I think when the Atlas came to production.
 
Accnor73 said:
I’d done similar maths too, but I reckon with all the apprentices the average bill was lower and I reckon the true fte
Headcount was lower too. There is also the servicing and parts income stream too which most dealerships will tell you is where the majority of income is these days.

Only 1 man knows the truth but it doesn’t seem to add up well on my fag packet.

Guys from the norton team are on this forum aren’t they? Obviously staying quiet right now and for good reasins but I’d love to hear from them.
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And the administration guys to I bet ?
 
Welshrugby said:
When I did a tour of Norton in Jan 2018, i reckon there were about 6 teams of 2 assembling the bikes, 2 others dyno testing, maybe 12 in the metal fabrication building amd perhaps another 8 in the offices. So about 34 at the time. They were gearing up for 100 or so I think when the Atlas came to production.
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The new factory for the Atlas production was never moved into/occupied.
 
Wouldn't it be brilliant though if they could find a buyer who kept production right where it is employing all the staff whom I gather have not been let go. Simon Skinner could perhaps be retained.
 
Welshrugby said:
Wouldn't it be brilliant though if they could find a buyer who kept production right where it is employing all the staff whom I gather have not been let go. Simon Skinner could perhaps be retained.
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You mean that these staff are still being paid?
 
Welshrugby said:
Wouldn't it be brilliant though if they could find a buyer who kept production right where it is employing all the staff whom I gather have not been let go. Simon Skinner could perhaps be retained.
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Yes and no IMHO...

Yes to keeping the staff and to keeping UK based production.

But no to trying to operate a creaky old sprawling stately home complex as a modern efficient motorcycle factory !

We have to realise that it appears that Norton probably failed to make a profit on any bike sold. Therefore, any new buyer HAS to do something differently...
 
ZFD said:
Last I heard from a normally well-informed source were about 15 employees, probably boosted visually by the apprentices that the English goverment so kindly paid for. From memory that is about the staff level (including the apprentices!) I saw at CCM in the 1990s. Which I then saw as a little group of people in a shed, fumbling bikes together.
Click to expand...
 
Ref. CCM, I bought one of their Spitfires, took a while to get it but worth the wait, great bunch of lads. If SG had followed their business model we might all be happier bunnies.
 
Im an attorney, certified by California Bar as a Specialist in Bankruptcy. Other than my assumption that the same principles apply, I know nothing of UK insolvency law.

That said, I imagine that marshalling of assets and liabilities, with an eye toward paying creditors according to legal priority is what is done. That means that secured creditors are paid first IF their claim to the security is sound, and that costs of administration - the appointed receivers - and taxes come next.

Given the magnitude of debt here and the questionable value of the assets, it is “lights out” and some one might pick up some pieces by throwing some money in.
 

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