Polaris announced today that it will keep some of its engine manufacturing operations in Osceola, Wisconsin. The announcement comes 11 months after the company said it would close the Wisconsin factory and move some of its manufacturing operations to a new facility in Mexico.
This latest decision is in response to stronger than projected growth for Polaris in recent months, according to a release from the company.
“Since we announced the strategic realignment last year, our volumes are up significantly in each of our businesses and our U.S. plants are full from a physical footprint standpoint,” said Scott Wine, CEO of Polaris. “While we have outperformed our original volume projections, the Osceola team has executed flawlessly and continues to produce world-class, quality products. In order to meet escalating demand while maintaining our focus on quality, keeping some engine capability and output in Osceola was an obvious choice.”
Polaris will continue to produce engines for snowmobiles, off-road vehicles and Victory motorcycles in the western Wisconsin town of roughly 2,700 people “for the foreseeable future,” the release said.
Polaris worked with the state of Wisconsin and the Department of Commerce to keep some engine manufacturing in Osceola and maintain about 50 assembly jobs at the facility. Globally, Polaris employs about 3,300 people.