Polaris Inc. and Winnebago Industries both will temporarily close manufacturing lines as the coronavirus pandemic causes slowdowns in the recreational vehicle industry.
Medina-based Polaris said Monday that for one week it will close its plants in Roseau and Monticello, plus those in Huntsville, Ala.; Spirit Lake, Iowa; Osceola, Wis.; Battle Ground, Wash.; Mexico, and Poland.
Winnebago said Monday it is suspending production through April 12, and its main competitor, Thor Industries, also said it would shut down North American production. Winnebago, which is based in Forest City, Iowa, but managed from Eden Prairie, will continue to provide essential services to dealers and customers.
Polaris during the shutdown will still ship finished vehicles to dealers and produce military vehicles that are considered essential by the government, it said in a statement.
"We have been aggressive with employee safety and supply chain mitigation actions, so our plants have operated effectively to meet the strong retail momentum we saw at the start of the year, through the second week of March," said Polaris CEO Scott Wine in a statement. "As anticipated, pandemic concerns ultimately began to impact demand, which dropped suddenly in the middle of last week, and we are adjusting our operations accordingly."
Boat manufacturing will continue to meet customer orders, and distribution centers will be operating, the company said.
Wine said the downturn will have a "significant impact" on 2020 results.
"Consistent with 2008, we are prepared for a period of vehicle retail demand being down significantly," he said. "Today, however, we have a much larger installed base and broader aftermarket portfolio, which will help to mitigate the impact of this unwelcome downturn."
