Triumph Factory Destroyed by Fire

From a Triumph press release::
NEWNAN, Ga., March 17, 2002 -- Triumph Motorcycles issued a statement today that distribution of the Triumph range of motorcycles, parts and accessories and their warranty service will continue following a fire Friday evening, March 15th , which has affected part of one of their UK manufacturing facilities.

Karl Wharton, Managing Director of the Hinckley-based motorcycle manufacturer, says that work on rebuilding a section of their Jacknell Road production facility is due to start later this week...

The fire, which was confined to a section of the assembly area, was quickly brought under control and has only affected certain areas at one of our four production and distribution centers in Hinckley. "No-one was hurt and all of our 650 UK staff are being informed that their jobs are secure, said Mr. Wharton. "It will have no immediate impact on motorcycles ready for distribution held in our network of bike stores in the UK, Europe, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and other countries," he added.

Many staff have been working throughout the weekend with the Triumph management team, preparing for Monday's clean-up and contacting the company's worldwide dealer network to inform them that they can order parts and accessories on-line as usual.

"Stocks of spare parts and most ranges of motorcycles are available to meet immediate requirements in the UK. It is also the company's policy to hold stocks of bikes at other distribution centers in Europe and the United States," said Karl Wharton.

The preliminary investigation suggests normal manufacturing operation in the affected areas will recommence within four months."Over the past three years Triumph has significantly expanded their manufacturing facilities in the UK to meet growing demand. This specific incident will not hinder the on-going success of Triumph," said Mr. Wharton.

Now, formore from the BBC...