Yamaha Motor Europe today announced that production at two facilities in Italy and France has been temporarily suspended in response to the ongoing Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Production at the Motori Minarelli engine factory in Calderara di Reno, Italy, and the MBK Industrie assembly plant in Saint-Quentin, France will be halted with immediate effect. Both facilities will remain closed until 22nd March, after which the situation will be reviewed on a weekly basis.
The decision to temporarily close the two facilities was made for the wellbeing and peace of mind of the workforce in Italy and France, both countries where social distancing is a key component of the government's strategy to combat the spread of coronavirus
Yamaha Motor Europe is working following authorities' directives in Italy and France to ensure that employees at both facilities are not disadvantaged financially as a result of the temporary closures.
"The health of our employees and our social responsibility are our priorities at this stage, which is why we took the decision to suspend production at these two facilities in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic," explained Eric de Seynes, President, Chief Executive Officer of Yamaha Motor Europe. "We also value highly the skills and commitment of a workforce that has shown tremendous loyalty to Yamaha, but now faces an unprecedented situation outside of the workplace. For their peace of mind, we are working to ensure that no employee will lose out financially between now and the return to a stable situation both in Italy and France."
KTM annouced on Friday last week that is would also be suspending production.
