Jan-Willem van Schaik

TAICHUNG, Taiwan - For Merida the importance of the e-bike market continues to rise rapidly. In 2018 the company reported an e-bike output of 143,000 units, while for 2020 Merida forecasts to ship 330,000 e-bikes from Taiwan.

KUNSHAN, China - The new 36V 4 Amp charger of Kunshan ST Electronics is not only the smallest in the market, but also much more efficient than the previous generation. According to ST Electronics it reaches a level of efficiency of no less than 92 percent.

SOFIA, Bulgaria - The opening of the country's first aluminum frame production facility is an important addition to Bulgaria's Bike Valley. Bulgaria will become the third country in Europe with its own aluminum frame production, following Poland and Portugal.

POZZOLEONE, Italy - Saddle manufacturer Sello Royal puts greater effort into trade marketing activities in order to improve the brand's presence in stores. "Our objective is to help dealers to increase the performance of their saddle business and ultimately the customer experience in the shops," says Selle Royal.

POSCHIAVO, Switzerland - Repower, a Swiss manufacturer and distributor of green electricity, recently displayed the latest addition to its electric mobility ecosystem called Homo Mobilis.

TALINN, Estonia - Driven by high demand for internet-of-things (IoT) devices for electric scooters and bikes Comodule recently opened its own factory near its headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia. It enables the company to produce up to 20,000 telematics devices per month.

OSAKA, Japan - Is Shimano advancing further on the e-bike market with a new technical development? The company filed an application at the US Patent Office for a gearbox in combination with an e-bike mid-motor.

MONTREAL, Canada - Dorel Sports including Cycling Sports Group showed a strong third quarter performance; like in the 2nd quarter. Between July and October, revenues increased by 14.2 percent.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Bicycle component manufacturer Glory Wheel Ent. and bicycle production machinery manufacturer Shuz Tung are two examples out of the bicycle industry of the total of 151 companies from a wide variety of sectors that applied for support at the Taiwan government to return their production from China.

NEUSTADT A/D WEINSTRASSE, Germany - Thomas Seifert joined the management team of Sigma-Elektro GmbH as CEO. Thomas is known in the sports and cycling industry as Managing Director of Polar Electro GmbH Germany. He held this position until the end of 2017.