Andy Y Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Bachmann Europe Plc rides into busy show season on the crest of a wave Bachmann Europe Plc, manufacturer and distributor of Model and Hobby products including Branchline OO scale model trains; announced today that it is very much looking forward to the year ahead. The company has enjoyed its busiest ever year in 2011 with turnover and profit reaching their highest ever levels since the Leicestershire firm was established by Managing Director Graham Hubbard back in 1989. David Haarhaus, European Sales and Marketing Manager said “2011 has been exceptional for Bachmann Europe PLC; it started with us winning the prestigious OO scale ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ award back in March and a clean sweep in all OO scale categories made possible by our skilled engineers in England and at our parent company in China. Since then, our sales and logistics teams have been extremely busy throughout the year meeting high demand for our Branchline products and increasing the contact with our supportive customers, and in turn our loyal consumers and collectors. Our Marketing and Collectors’ Club teams have successfully launched new websites making it easier for our consumers to gain the latest product news and where to purchase our vast selection of items from. We are now starting our main trade show season with stands at the NEC Spring Fair and Nuremberg Toy Fair. We feel with our ever increasing portfolio of quality model and hobby products, the time is now right to make our first appearance at Spring Fair. We are also very much looking forward to the Nuremberg show as our Liliput range of European HO models has increased its sales by over 20% in 2011 and made positive contribution to group profitsâ€. The exciting new 2012 British outline model railway ranges will be launched at the Model and Hobby show, held in Coventry on the 13th and 14th March. Although this announcement is more toward trade recipients I felt that it worth sharing. Coming on the same day as profits warnings from Hornby this statement is very direct in saying that sales within the hobby for Bachmann are strong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Good for Bachmann! I wonder if Hornby should not have overstretched themselves a few years back? The Electrotren purchase was IIRC, the same as for the Lima group which came with a much larger portfolio. But I digress, sorry! Lets hope that Bachmann have found a winning combination and continue in this manner - it's only good for us! Cheers, John E. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian J. Posted January 27, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 27, 2012 Maybe Bachmann's strength is at least partly due to building a trust with their buyers by getting to market desired models. Also I wonder how well the UK prototype sales are doing and how much they add/take away from the European picture? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Y Posted January 27, 2012 Author Share Posted January 27, 2012 Also I wonder how well the UK prototype sales are doing and how much they add/take away from the European picture? Although the figures aren't publicly available I believe from conversations that the UK products are very strong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D605Eagle Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 If Hornby listened to customers better, they might have been posting a similar statement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_l_jones Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 A very positive statement from Bachmann, and a well deserved position based on the products that have been produced during the last twelve months, however you only have to look at the discounts being offered to know there are difficult times ahead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted January 27, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 27, 2012 Thanks for the statement Andy. I have to say that I have a bias for Bachmann products, as they are generally top quality, they listen to the consumer and they deliver a consistently creditable range of product. The fact that Bachmann Europe singles out the skilled "English" engineers (oops, I'm sure he meant British!) shows the esteem the company places on the UK marketplace. Good luck to them, even though "there may be trouble ahead (singalong!!)" Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dilbert Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I hope that all the RTR manufacturers will be able weather the current economic storm - they will be ulltimately be judged on the price/quality of their product portfolio. I have no particular manufacturer-phobie or manufacturer-phile affiliation (possibly to their regret), but anything that is produced that I would consider quality, I will support (where I can)... dilbert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 I have no idea of the relative sizes of the two businesses respective OO divisions, but must suspect Hornby's is much the larger and more diverse i its customer base. I would suggest that Bachmann, essentially adult modeller oriented, and most of these adults of a certain age with reasonable income, may well draw most of their customer base from a (so far) relatively 'recession robust' group. There is no doubt in my mind that they have succeeded in establishing a solid line of what I think of as 'equivalent to decent kit build' quality models and well deserve their success. I cannot help but wonder if H-D had been better managed, could we have seen that business develop over the past fifty-some years as the 'modeller oriented' RTR supplier, and dragged Triang/Rovex along with them earlier into advancing their product quality? How that would have changed the hobby... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 It is not by accident they were 'manufacturer of the year '. Good luck to them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Great news for Bachmann. I had been fearing that things could be different in these recession times but encouraging they're not (so far). I suspect that Bach's market is more towards "serious modellers" than perhaps Hornby and maybe this section of society is less affected by the recession? I know from a personal perspective that I consider myself a "serious modeller" and a quick glance in my empty box cupboard would suggest lots of dark blue and not an awful lot of red... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 It comes down to focus - Bachmann are a railway modelling company who maintain contact with their customers throughout the year at various exhibitions, they know what people want and deliver at a reasonable price. They don't overstretch or try and buy everything up. One concern, especially with the mails from Hattons thread on cancelled items, is that Dapol doesn't similarly overstretch - they have a lot of exciting proposed models in three scales now. Lets hope they are using a Bachmann model and keep focus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddys-blues Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Bachmann listen, they deliver "eventually in some cases", and they are not afraid to go back and retool something that is incorrect, Hornby are producing new stuff slowly, but they still churn out plenty of the same "OLD" models "wagons & coaches" and expect modellers to pay a premium. As mentioned above, I too have a Bachmann biased when buying models. There is a morale in these hard pressing times, listen to your Customer's, they may keep you going you know !!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dilbert Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Bachmann listen, they deliver "eventually in some cases", and they are not afraid to go back and retool something that is incorrect, Hornby are producing new stuff slowly, but they still churn out plenty of the same "OLD" models "wagons & coaches" and expect modellers to pay a premium. I never thought that I would end up defending Hornby on this forum, but time to buck the trend here? ... I totally disagree with the daft Hornby embargo (the latest version was more than useless), but this situation has been in cahoots with the printed press and exacerbated due to the rapidity of info flow with the Internet. It was interesting to note how different web fora approached this... But in case you haven't voted for your favourite 2011 model of the year, you may want to check out the categories in the coaching and wagon sections, the selections presented are very interesting : Coaching - only new models are Hornby Wagon (steam) - all new models are Hornby Wagon (modern - there are 2 models each from Hornby and Bachmann As per another thread on this forum, there seems to be a malaise between objectivity & subjectivity... and not only applicable to the printed press. You may not agree with Hornby's pricing policy, they do still chrun out 'old' stuff that doesn't need much to make it look good - you pays your money and you make your choice.. dilbert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Bachmann listen, they deliver "eventually in some cases", and they are not afraid to go back and retool something that is incorrect, Hornby are producing new stuff slowly, but they still churn out plenty of the same "OLD" models "wagons & coaches" and expect modellers to pay a premium. I am sure Hornby would not be making them if people were not willing to buy them. Also Bachmann are not entirely spotless on the errors front. The well known roof errors on the 00 class 24 were faithfully replicated on the N gauge version. One trend I have noticed is that Hornby seem to favour the more glamourous prototypes while Bachmann favour more work-a-day machines in their range. I wonder how this affects sales trends. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Where are the Covhops ? A few Plates and Boplates wouldn't come amiss, either. I have a long empty siding awaiting !!!!!!!!!!!! I called in at Hattons midweek. Bought a bit of Hornby (couple of Wigan based PO wagons), Bachman (went for a 3F but bought a Jubilee - Hong Kong, only a few quid more on offer, and alot more usefull to me), and a Heljan Brush 4, two tone green, again on offer. Hattons shop is a wonderfull place now to view models. Nearly everything they sell is in new well lit display cabinets, and boy do some models look good, better in 3D than any photo. One look at "Hong Kong" and that was it. Icing on the cake is that etched nameplates included in box separately. I got to looking at the modern stuff too. The Voyager model looks superb, they growl past my house and I hardly give them a look, but the model looked brilliant. Class 66 & 70 models looked the business too, and those lovely Dapol intermodal wagons & Bachmann steel wagons as well. No, i'm not going modern image, but daydreaming is cheap. But some models looked naf as well, Heljan Lion, the white diesel, the bright yellow Dapol bogie open wagons, and one or two other things disinterested me. Still, the hobby is so diverse these days, something for every taste. I wish all manufacturers every success in these increasingly difficult times. Brit15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 7013 Posted January 28, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 28, 2012 Very interesting and welcome news from Bachmann, Hornby on the other hand have been through a period of uncertainty with manufacturing problems, loss of consumer confidence and whilst I believe Hornby do listen to us the customer, they are not as interactive with the public.It was good to see Simon Kohler answering a few queries on MREmag recently it is not the same as Dapol Dave say who is very active on this site keeping us informed and involved. If Simon Kohler took a similar approach then I believe we the consumers would support Hornby even more.It is very much a case of keeping your eye on the ball.Nothing like Bachmanns announcement for galvanising the opposition! All that said I believe Hornby have turned the corner with a lot of their past woes and should start reaping the rewards for some very good models Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 If Bachmann wish to do even better then they'll have to have a better performance in the USA market where they are perceived as "also rans". Their diesel models of North American prototypes never quite look right and the details are nowhere near the level obtained by Atlas and Athearn on even their mid-price ranges. Rather "toy-like" in comparison. Their "steam" models have been well received, though - I wonder why they seem to get those more right? That, however, is not the major market over here. The North American market is less driven by the lowest price point. I hope that they can do better over here because the more choice the merrier we shall be. Just my opinion (and maybe, maybe, some others). Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted January 28, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 28, 2012 Hornby seem to favour the more glamourous prototypes while Bachmann favour more work-a-day machines in their range. I wonder how this affects sales trends. One I suspect helps as you often need more then one and plainer liveried freight locos are easier to renumber. It would be interesting to compare the performance of the British railway markets as I suspect Hornby includes all the other ranges too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allegheny1600 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 If Bachmann wish to do even better then they'll have to have a better performance in the USA market where they are perceived as "also rans". Their diesel models of North American prototypes never quite look right and the details are nowhere near the level obtained by Atlas and Athearn on even their mid-price ranges. Rather "toy-like" in comparison. Their "steam" models have been well received, though - I wonder why they seem to get those more right? That, however, is not the major market over here. The North American market is less driven by the lowest price point. I hope that they can do better over here because the more choice the merrier we shall be. Just my opinion (and maybe, maybe, some others). Best, Pete. Oh Absolutely, Pete! However, don't they have a series of much newer models coming out alongside the EM-1 (probably a GP-7 or 9?). I thought they looked to be quite high quality! I do find it curious how this giant American company now produces it's best products for the UK (outline) market! I'm certainly not complaining mind! Yes! Bachmann UK is definately better IMHO than Spectrum or Lilliput (& a LOT cheaper than Lilliput!). Not tried the Chinese outline stuff but I doubt it's better than 'ours'. I believe this must be down purely to Graham Hubbard and his team, so Kudos to them. Cheers guys, John E. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 John, They need to focus a little more on what they are doing, scrap all the old crap and start over (with diesels). Yes, their Amtrak stuff is pretty good but who buys that and why is it better? As North America does not suffer from a sub-$100 mentality ala the Brits then they have a prime opportunity - I hope they don't let it slip through their fingers... We should be told (as Private Eye would say)! Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I am sure Hornby would not be making them if people were not willing to buy them. Also Bachmann are not entirely spotless on the errors front. The well known roof errors on the 00 class 24 were faithfully replicated on the N gauge version. One trend I have noticed is that Hornby seem to favour the more glamourous prototypes while Bachmann favour more work-a-day machines in their range. I wonder how this affects sales trends. Don't forget the Hornby L1 - I happen to think it is the best British model in at least 5 years. I agree about Bachmann - they are not perfect. I only recently saw the "new" Class 37 in New York - what the heck happened to the front end? It may be just a millimetre out but it makes a big difference to the look. I despair of anyone getting this prototype exactly right! Overall, though I'm more likely to "back" Bachmann rather than Hornby (if only because they are active in the North American markets, see my posts above). Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
autocoach Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Bachmann steam in the US is ok but mostly eastern US prototype. You would have to be a freelance modeler to use any of their newer offerings in a western setting. They decorate their locomotives for Railroads that had nothing of the sort. There is little RTR and almost no kit these days to model the smaller steam engines of my personal US preference, the Southern Pacific. (The Athearn/Horizon SP MT4 with Skyline casing lost its scheduled delivery date again...) and there has nothing in the smaller 4-6-0 and 2-8-0 types that worked the branch lines of the west since the MDC/Roundhouse kits of the 1980's. My local hobbystore does not like to stock Bachmann diesels due to their inferior detail and mechanisms compared to the other US importers (its all made in China.) On the other hand, the UK market is better served. The NRM Truro, Midland Compound, Southern N and forthcoming Dukedog and SECR C are exact models for the UK RTR market. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 ...I do find it curious how this giant American company now produces it's best products for the UK (outline) market! I'm certainly not complaining mind! Yes! Bachmann UK is definately better IMHO than Spectrum or Lilliput ... I believe this must be down purely to Graham Hubbard and his team, so Kudos to them. I remember Graham Hubbard being quoted on these lines regarding the entry of Bachmann Europe into UK OO in 1992, that 'we can do better than what is currently on offer'. The barrier to entry in the UK was relatively low, with Hornby and Lima both offering mediocre bodies on poor mechanisms, while Kader could offer superior mechanism design proven in North American product, and they had the inherited Mainline and Replica body tooling, of decent or better quality. Compare that to North America where several well established brand names had been engaged in competitive improvement cycles for decades, and pricing was and remains very keen. That's a difficult terrain on which to start competing for even a rough parity position. The real achievement of the Barwell team was not sitting on their early laurels, but having proven the existence of a market for 'something better' in OO RTR then advancing the product quality yet further ahead of the competition: both intrinsic quality of the models and a way superior range selection compared to other ranges. That spurred Hornby into action to some effect... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dilbert Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 The real achievement of the Barwell team was not sitting on their early laurels, but having proven the existence of a market for 'something better' in OO RTR then advancing the product quality yet further ahead of the competition: both intrinsic quality of the models and a way superior range selection compared to other ranges. That spurred Hornby into action to some effect... Here are some overview numbers that I crunched in 2004 (there's more detail concerning new models etc...that I have not reproduced). I haven't reviewed since. The only reason I did this was to quantity the 'we've'never had it so good' that were prevalent at that time. Since then these numbers have evolved, the more instantly recognisable in Hornby in the Coaching segment and the continued Bachmann dominance of the goods vehicles sector. The only reason I include the 2003 numbers is that Lima went bust that year - they hadn't seen (or saw too late) the combined D+E model juggernaut... dilbert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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