More bad news for Spain’s motorcycle industry and workers after Yamaha’s decision to transfer their production line from Palau-solit i Plegamans to France now Piaggio has also decided to transfer the production of the historic Derbi factory from Martorelles in Barcelona to Italy.

Derbi was a Catalan motorbike company founded in the early 1920s and was bought in 2001 by Piaggio and currently employs 230 workers and according to Piaggio the closure of the plant is “rationalising the Group production network in Europe, guaranteeing greater efficiency and productivity, the move will strengthen the competitiveness of Derbi vehicles to support the growth of the Spanish brand’s market share.”

The unions believe that it isn’t just the waning sales of Derbi scooters on the Spanish market, last year the company built 24,000 units and the forecast for 2011 is 20,000, but the decision is “a way of satisfying the Italian government, the trade unions and the workers” after the company transferred part of their production to Vietnam.

With unemployment at almost 21%, this new pullout will not only leave Derbi workers without jobs, but also the hundreds of supplying companies that revolve around the motorcycle industry and according to motorcycle website motorpasionmoto.com even the Suzuki plant in Gijón is at risk.

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