Jan-Willem van Schaik

TAOYUAN CITY, Taiwan - Darfon Electronics Corp., better known of its e-bike brands Votani and Besv, acquired a 60 percent stake in Kenstone Metal Co Ltd. The investment in this Taiwanese OEM assembler is part of Darfon's strategy to build a bigger presence in the global electric bicycle market.

HO CHI-MINH CITY, Vietnam - For frame manufacturer Astro Engineering Co. Ltd. Vietnam was already in 2000 the best possible location for low cost production outside Taiwan.

CHICAGO, USA - Former SRAM Europe GM Patrick Brandwagt has been promoted to Global IT Program Director. Brandwagt's main responsibility will be ensuring the business and IT side of SRAM are aligned on their implementation priorities.

DOETINCHEM, the Netherlands - The huge popularity of e-bikes in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands was reason for General Motors to introduce its new ARĪV branded e-bikes on these markets. The name ARĪV was selected as part of a global crowdsourcing campaign announced in November 2018.

DOETINCHEM, the Netherlands - Lithium-ion battery manufacturer BMZ and the Dutch bicycle bags and basket supplier Basil both hired industry insiders to strengthen their organization. Kim Madsen joined BMZ as of February 2019, while Patrick Ebbeling started at Basil at end of 2018.

CHICAGO, USA - 'Always in the right gear' is SRAM's payoff for eTap AXS groupset launched yesterday. The new bike component integration system take wireless shifting to the next level.

BERLIN, Germany - The German draft standard for cargo bikes DIN 79010 has been published for public review. At this point, it is only available in German. The deadline for free of charge review and comment is 1 April 2019.

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany - Eurobike presented today a new media event for urban mobility with product testing of top innovations from leading manufacturers. The event is schedule for 10-11 July in in Frankfurt am Main.

PADOVA, Italy - Extrusion fender manufacturer Eurofender celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. What once started as a small ambitious manufacturer of mudguards has grown into a full-fledged supplier based in Northern Italy for the European bicycle industry.

IRVINE, USA - The Sena R1 road cycling helmet received the 2019 German Design Award as 'Excellent Product Design' in the category 'bicycle'. The helmet features the 4.1 Bluetooth technology offering a variety of communication possibilities.