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The new Husqvarna Motorcycles Headquarters inaugurated

The new Development and Operations Centre of the motorcycle manufacturer, recently acquired by the BMW Group, was inaugurated today. The structure covers an area of 2,603 square metres and offers a total volume of 25,156 cubic metres on three floors.

A project realised in less than 15 months

The inaugural ceremony of the new Husqvarna Motorcycles Headquarters was held today, Monday 21st September at Cassinetta di Biandronno (Varese). It has been built to expand the site of the motorcycle manufacturer in via Nino Bixio 8. Present at the ceremony were Hendrik Von Kuenheim, President of BMW Motorrad, and Rainer Thoma, President and Managing Director of Husqvarna Motorcycles, together with civil and church authorities and the
workers themselves. Over an overall area of 42,320 square metres, the new building covers a space of 6,300 square metres, with the partial demolition of an old pre-existing warehouse of about 600 square metres. The building, covering a space of 2,603 square metres, has three floors above ground for a total of 5,800 square metres and 25,156 cubic metres. Fitted with the latest thermal and acoustic insulation in conformity with regulations governing energy
saving, it also has a system of solar panels providing hot water for the whole building. Construction work began on 2nd July 2008 and has lasted less than 15 months in all.

 

The new headquarters completes the layout of the Cassinetta plant

“The new Headquarters and its organisation”, declared Rainer Thoma, President and Managing Director of Husqvarna Motorcycles, “have been planned to facilitate the development of the product and to integrate all the production units involved in the creation process of the entire Husqvarna Motorcycles range in an optimal manner. The structure has been designed to face the foreseen growth in the medium term and to be expanded in the long term. For example, the production capacity of the plant can, with only minor further changes, arrive at a quota of 40,000 motorcycles a year”. On the ground floor (2,603 square metres) in the centre of the building, we find the engine division and roller test beds. The surrounding area is dedicated to the prototypes and racing motorcycle production workshop. A section is also reserved for the Training Centre for the engineers comprising the Husqvarna after-sales service. On the first floor (2,278 square metres), next door to each other, there are the Styling Centre (753 square metres) and the Development Division (816 square metres) organised to assure work can be done with maximum concentration on the product. The same floor is also home to the Acquisitions Office and Market Research Office. The proximity of these two functions to the Development Division ensures that the latter is increasingly central to the commercial activities to obtain the best in terms of functionality, quality and costs, in close collaboration with suppliers. The second floor (592 square metres), covering only the north part of the building, offers the Management and Administration offices. Alongside, on the roof of the Development Division, there is an open space dedicated to the presentation of new models. To the front of the building, facing the road, there are the windows of the Husqvarna
Motorcycles showroom (325 square metres), easily visible and accessible from the outside. This space is used to display the company’s top models and the finest photographs of the sporting events around the world it is destined to become the pulsing heart of the firm and a Mecca for all fans of the Husqvarna marque.

 

Profile

A tradition dating back more than a century and since 2007 part of the BMW Group heritage Husqvarna Motorcycles is the oldest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. Swedish in origin and centuries-old (it was founded over 300 years ago), the Husqvarna marque launched its first motorcycle in 1903: a velocipede with a single-cylinder engine delivering 1.5 hp and offering a top speed of 50 kph.

In 1916, Husqvarna won its first motorcycle race and in 1921 produced the first motorcycle with a 550 cc engine. Between the end of the Second World War in 1945 and the mid-1970s, the Husqvarna motorcycle division was victorious in numerous sporting events, above all in the United States, and appealed to passionate bikers for its new engines and new models, which constitute veritable milestones in the history of off-road sport.

In 1977, Husqvarna was acquired by Electrolux, the Swedish industrial group and leader in the household appliances sector. In 1987, following its sale to the Cagiva group owned by the Castiglioni brothers, the motorcycle division left Sweden and was based near Varese in Italy.

On 1st October 2007, it was purchased by the Munich-based BMW Group. Work began on the new Husqvarna Motorcycles headquarters at Cassinetta di Biandronno (Varese) on 2nd July 2008. This was officially inaugurated on 21st September 2009.

50 years’ experience on the racing circuit and 74 world titles

With over 50 years of activity in circuits around the world, Husqvarna Motorcycles boasts 74 titles won in the Cross, Enduro and Supermotard categories, including two world titles in the S2 class of the Supermoto World Championship, won by Adrien Chareyre on a SM 530RR last year. The company is currently actively involved in the Supermotard, Enduro, Motocross and Motorally categories.

Husqvarna Motorcycles today

Today, Husqvarna Motorcycles has 262 employees (there were 223 before the arrival of BMW) at its Cassinetta di Biandronno site and occupies an area of 35,000 square metres. Between October 2007 and 30th August 2009, 23,540 motorcycles were produced. The fruit of a strong vocation for technological innovation and an enormous technical and sporting heritage, the current range includes 21 models divided between the Enduro, Motocross, Supermotard
and Dual Purpose categories. These are flanked by other exceptional products, themselves the result of the research and sporting experience Husqvarna Motorcycles has acquired in off-road disciplines: the accessories and spare parts for motorcycles and the collection of technical clothing and racing accessories for bikers.