Arctic Cat ends once-a-year ATV ordering system

swadminJuly 31, 2009

Arctic Cat is changing its ATV distribution, allowing dealers to make new unit orders three times per year rather than just once a year.

Arctic Cat officials said dealers now will be making their orders in June, August and January rather than at a summer-time company dealer network show.

“This new approach will allow us to better manage dealer orders and actual retail activity, lower dealer inventories and reduce overall costs so that more dollars will be available for retail programs,” Arctic Cat CEO Chris Twomey said during the company’s recent quarterly report conference call.

Arctic Cat is slated to introduce some of its 2010 ATV lineup early this month and dealers will be ordering that new product as part of the second cycle of orders.

“This is a great opportunity for us to learn this because going forward this is probably the new normal as we think about how we’re going to be producing in the future,” Twomey said of the new dealer ordering system. “We have the opportunity to learn it at a slightly slower time, but this is the way we need to function going forward.”