Rumor mill: AST buys Moton
05-18-2011, 09:05 AM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Rumor mill: AST buys Moton
Can anyone corroborate?
Moton's customer service is beyond reproach.
05-18-2011, 12:57 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
AST USA claims on their Face Book page that they have purchased Moton. 
05-18-2011, 01:12 PM
#4
Rennlist Member
I hope not!
That being said, AST makes a decent product and a lot of bimmer guys love them, but they're known to have awful turnaround time and customer service. Hopefully, they'll retain Lex.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...php?p=22006030
That being said, AST makes a decent product and a lot of bimmer guys love them, but they're known to have awful turnaround time and customer service. Hopefully, they'll retain Lex.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...php?p=22006030
05-18-2011, 01:30 PM
#5
Rennlist Member
Haven't heard anything about it if it is so but we will see.
05-18-2011, 02:20 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
From a guy named Terry Fair, who runs Vorshlag which sells a lot of AST stuff:
"This is a good thing and there will be a thorough press release from AST soon detailing what's going down. Things have been happening quickly behind the scenes, and Moton USA headquarters will move to Dallas starting next week.
Rest assured, Moton build quality will only go up after this. There will also be no issues with current Moton customers with respect to service, rebuilds, and upgrades. The best products Moton offered before will still be around and only get better, as there wasn't much direct shock model overlap between AST and Moton (with a few exceptions). There was, however, already a lot of commonality in internal parts/designs between AST/Moton - especially between the AST 4XXX and the Moton Motorsport series shocks.
There was a lot of stuff going on in the background, but as Jack noted - a company losing market share that was in trouble has been bought by a company growing massively in market share in much better financial shape, that has proven quality and performance (see: 2011 GRAND AM dominance), and that has a dramatically larger machining capability (and yes, was already making some Moton parts).
Also, Vorshlag will become a Moton dealer starting next week. We will add the appropriate Moton shock models to our website shortly. There's even more good news coming of this, but its not my place to do it. Stay tuned for the press release and more details. "
Moton was "in trouble"????
"This is a good thing and there will be a thorough press release from AST soon detailing what's going down. Things have been happening quickly behind the scenes, and Moton USA headquarters will move to Dallas starting next week.
Rest assured, Moton build quality will only go up after this. There will also be no issues with current Moton customers with respect to service, rebuilds, and upgrades. The best products Moton offered before will still be around and only get better, as there wasn't much direct shock model overlap between AST and Moton (with a few exceptions). There was, however, already a lot of commonality in internal parts/designs between AST/Moton - especially between the AST 4XXX and the Moton Motorsport series shocks.
There was a lot of stuff going on in the background, but as Jack noted - a company losing market share that was in trouble has been bought by a company growing massively in market share in much better financial shape, that has proven quality and performance (see: 2011 GRAND AM dominance), and that has a dramatically larger machining capability (and yes, was already making some Moton parts).
Also, Vorshlag will become a Moton dealer starting next week. We will add the appropriate Moton shock models to our website shortly. There's even more good news coming of this, but its not my place to do it. Stay tuned for the press release and more details. "
Moton was "in trouble"????
05-18-2011, 03:08 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
you never know until you open up their books to see what was going on.
from purely business sales perspective - a product that costs a lot to produce but does not break or gets obsolete in its average 36 months life span is never very profitable. so, who knows.
from purely business sales perspective - a product that costs a lot to produce but does not break or gets obsolete in its average 36 months life span is never very profitable. so, who knows.
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05-18-2011, 04:13 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
From Brian Hanchey- AST owner.
Guys,
Thanks for all the spirited debate on the subject. We will be releasing more information soon, probably at the beginning of next week. This all began with a conversation over dinner while I was in Holland. Moton (in Holland) was filing for bankruptcy. My suggestion was instead of celebrating, why not continue a brand which is one of the top brands in the world? And that is what we plan to do. While there is some overlap that we will address, in the grand scheme of things there isn't much that needs to change. So the combination of the two companies is a compliment to the hard work Moton did in building the loyal following it has today. I don't know all the details yet, but here is what I do know.
Moton will operate as a separate company from AST.
This means Moton parts go in Motons. AST parts go in ASTs. I'm sure down the road there is a possibility of sharing but never to diminish one product for another or to save money. If anything, both will be stronger. We will operate in North America out of one facility, but Holland will keep two separate facilities. This makes sense since the Dutch companies are 45 minutes apart and the U.S. ones are 800 miles apart.
Rebuilding a Moton or an AST is similar than you might think. We already have most of the tools and will be able to service Motons very soon. Holland is beginning to ramp up production as well so we will have inventory up again very soon.
Another item to clear up
Currently there are no parts shared between Moton and AST. AST does not currently make Moton or JRZ parts.
10 years ago the designs were all similar and sometimes identical, but AST's have gone through several design changes including multiple piston designs, one of which just won Continental this weekend (and took the top 5 spots). Thanks Billy Johnson and RoushFenway Racing! Moton has had updates as well and does share some commonality with JRZ. Over 10 years the two products matured differently and we plan to keep it that way. Some engineers like the 22mm shaft and the displacement you get for compression adjustment found in a Moton, but we have teams that like 14mm shafts found in ASTs. They serve different purposes.
This is a positive outcome for AST and Moton. I don't want anyone to think customer service, quality, or performance is going to change for either brand of shock. Each has a unique place in the market and we plan to grow both brands together.
As we have more details we will share at that time. For now, I'd rather not promote a thread titled "AST >> Moton". That's not our intention, but I understand the excitement behind the post.
Thanks,
Brian
Guys,
Thanks for all the spirited debate on the subject. We will be releasing more information soon, probably at the beginning of next week. This all began with a conversation over dinner while I was in Holland. Moton (in Holland) was filing for bankruptcy. My suggestion was instead of celebrating, why not continue a brand which is one of the top brands in the world? And that is what we plan to do. While there is some overlap that we will address, in the grand scheme of things there isn't much that needs to change. So the combination of the two companies is a compliment to the hard work Moton did in building the loyal following it has today. I don't know all the details yet, but here is what I do know.
Moton will operate as a separate company from AST.
This means Moton parts go in Motons. AST parts go in ASTs. I'm sure down the road there is a possibility of sharing but never to diminish one product for another or to save money. If anything, both will be stronger. We will operate in North America out of one facility, but Holland will keep two separate facilities. This makes sense since the Dutch companies are 45 minutes apart and the U.S. ones are 800 miles apart.
Rebuilding a Moton or an AST is similar than you might think. We already have most of the tools and will be able to service Motons very soon. Holland is beginning to ramp up production as well so we will have inventory up again very soon.
Another item to clear up
Currently there are no parts shared between Moton and AST. AST does not currently make Moton or JRZ parts.
10 years ago the designs were all similar and sometimes identical, but AST's have gone through several design changes including multiple piston designs, one of which just won Continental this weekend (and took the top 5 spots). Thanks Billy Johnson and RoushFenway Racing! Moton has had updates as well and does share some commonality with JRZ. Over 10 years the two products matured differently and we plan to keep it that way. Some engineers like the 22mm shaft and the displacement you get for compression adjustment found in a Moton, but we have teams that like 14mm shafts found in ASTs. They serve different purposes.
This is a positive outcome for AST and Moton. I don't want anyone to think customer service, quality, or performance is going to change for either brand of shock. Each has a unique place in the market and we plan to grow both brands together.
As we have more details we will share at that time. For now, I'd rather not promote a thread titled "AST >> Moton". That's not our intention, but I understand the excitement behind the post.
Thanks,
Brian
05-18-2011, 04:30 PM
#9
Rennlist Member
From Brian Hanchey- AST owner.
Guys,
Thanks for all the spirited debate on the subject. We will be releasing more information soon, probably at the beginning of next week. This all began with a conversation over dinner while I was in Holland. Moton (in Holland) was filing for bankruptcy. My suggestion was instead of celebrating, why not continue a brand which is one of the top brands in the world? And that is what we plan to do. While there is some overlap that we will address, in the grand scheme of things there isn't much that needs to change. So the combination of the two companies is a compliment to the hard work Moton did in building the loyal following it has today. I don't know all the details yet, but here is what I do know.
Moton will operate as a separate company from AST.
This means Moton parts go in Motons. AST parts go in ASTs. I'm sure down the road there is a possibility of sharing but never to diminish one product for another or to save money. If anything, both will be stronger. We will operate in North America out of one facility, but Holland will keep two separate facilities. This makes sense since the Dutch companies are 45 minutes apart and the U.S. ones are 800 miles apart.
Rebuilding a Moton or an AST is similar than you might think. We already have most of the tools and will be able to service Motons very soon. Holland is beginning to ramp up production as well so we will have inventory up again very soon.
Another item to clear up
Currently there are no parts shared between Moton and AST. AST does not currently make Moton or JRZ parts.
10 years ago the designs were all similar and sometimes identical, but AST's have gone through several design changes including multiple piston designs, one of which just won Continental this weekend (and took the top 5 spots). Thanks Billy Johnson and RoushFenway Racing! Moton has had updates as well and does share some commonality with JRZ. Over 10 years the two products matured differently and we plan to keep it that way. Some engineers like the 22mm shaft and the displacement you get for compression adjustment found in a Moton, but we have teams that like 14mm shafts found in ASTs. They serve different purposes.
This is a positive outcome for AST and Moton. I don't want anyone to think customer service, quality, or performance is going to change for either brand of shock. Each has a unique place in the market and we plan to grow both brands together.
As we have more details we will share at that time. For now, I'd rather not promote a thread titled "AST >> Moton". That's not our intention, but I understand the excitement behind the post.
Thanks,
Brian
Guys,
Thanks for all the spirited debate on the subject. We will be releasing more information soon, probably at the beginning of next week. This all began with a conversation over dinner while I was in Holland. Moton (in Holland) was filing for bankruptcy. My suggestion was instead of celebrating, why not continue a brand which is one of the top brands in the world? And that is what we plan to do. While there is some overlap that we will address, in the grand scheme of things there isn't much that needs to change. So the combination of the two companies is a compliment to the hard work Moton did in building the loyal following it has today. I don't know all the details yet, but here is what I do know.
Moton will operate as a separate company from AST.
This means Moton parts go in Motons. AST parts go in ASTs. I'm sure down the road there is a possibility of sharing but never to diminish one product for another or to save money. If anything, both will be stronger. We will operate in North America out of one facility, but Holland will keep two separate facilities. This makes sense since the Dutch companies are 45 minutes apart and the U.S. ones are 800 miles apart.
Rebuilding a Moton or an AST is similar than you might think. We already have most of the tools and will be able to service Motons very soon. Holland is beginning to ramp up production as well so we will have inventory up again very soon.
Another item to clear up
Currently there are no parts shared between Moton and AST. AST does not currently make Moton or JRZ parts.
10 years ago the designs were all similar and sometimes identical, but AST's have gone through several design changes including multiple piston designs, one of which just won Continental this weekend (and took the top 5 spots). Thanks Billy Johnson and RoushFenway Racing! Moton has had updates as well and does share some commonality with JRZ. Over 10 years the two products matured differently and we plan to keep it that way. Some engineers like the 22mm shaft and the displacement you get for compression adjustment found in a Moton, but we have teams that like 14mm shafts found in ASTs. They serve different purposes.
This is a positive outcome for AST and Moton. I don't want anyone to think customer service, quality, or performance is going to change for either brand of shock. Each has a unique place in the market and we plan to grow both brands together.
As we have more details we will share at that time. For now, I'd rather not promote a thread titled "AST >> Moton". That's not our intention, but I understand the excitement behind the post.
Thanks,
Brian
AST will do well to adopt a much more customer friendly model than they have now. ie I value service and quality over price.
Peter
05-18-2011, 04:57 PM
#11
Race Car
Search on M3 forum or Bimmerforums. They came into the US market a few years back and have really been making their presence known with a great product offering.
05-18-2011, 05:02 PM
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05-18-2011, 06:51 PM
#13
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Read about this on Bimmerforum this morning. AST makes very good suspensions, but (like everyone else said) Moton customer service is awesome! Dealt with Lex a few times for my Moton setup, have nothing but praises for them.
05-18-2011, 07:12 PM
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05-18-2011, 08:54 PM
#15
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Well, no.
I can say... don't worry, I am 100% sure that Lex will be around and offer us the same very high level quality of service and products that he always has.
I am also sure that when all things are final and can be properly discussed that the people behind the scenes will explain in more detail. Stay tuned for more details soon.
Bottom line, I know Lex will still be taking care of me regardless.
How's that VR ?
I can say... don't worry, I am 100% sure that Lex will be around and offer us the same very high level quality of service and products that he always has.
I am also sure that when all things are final and can be properly discussed that the people behind the scenes will explain in more detail. Stay tuned for more details soon.
Bottom line, I know Lex will still be taking care of me regardless.
How's that VR ?