It is foremost about stability and reliability; about securing supply chains as well as being more cost effective, faster and more flexible. All that comes with close-to-market production; with production in Europe. And in particular with e-bike production. But making the switch to producing electric bicycles requires considerable investments. It calls for robotization wherever possible, needed for reaching a 90 seconds flow time. All this is transforming bike production in Europe that stands to quadruple in volume in the next five years.
Highlights in this latest online magazine (Issue 08 | February 2020) include:
SponsoredAfter strategically expanding last year with a new factory in Vietnam to boost production capacity and enhance global compliance—especially for the European and U.S. markets—Ananda has now upgraded its Wuxi factory in China with advanced testing and assembly equipment. This facility, one of Ananda's five global factories, produces the majority of the company's e-bike systems.
BERLIN, Germany - Germany as a manufacturing base might not be the most logical choice for the bicycle industry when looking at the rising cost of labour. The strategic location in central Europe and the long heritage of production and engineering has always given the country a strong position in the industry. A group of industry leaders spoke out whether Germany is losing its appeal as a business location for bicycle companies or 'Made in Germany' is a concept for the future.
WALDERSDORF, Germany - Cube Bikes plans to set up a facility in Egypt to produce plastic-reinforced carbon parts for export to its European factories as production inputs. The company has already scheduled a second visit to Egypt to secure a 40,000-square-meter plot in the 10th of Ramadan City, northeast of Cairo.
KOPRIVNICE, Czech Republic - The two buildings housing the offices, production and warehouse of Bike Fun International (BFI) are hidden behind the big entry gate of the Tatra truck factory in the Czech Republic. BFI is probably the only bicycle factory which is located in a former test facility for trucks. Founded by a group of Dutch investors in 2001, the company developed into a leading city bike manufacturer based in central Europe, without losing sight on the sports bike market.
