CHANGHUA, Taiwan - Merida Industry Co., Ltd. was particularly hit hard by the slump which hit the bicycle industry last year. In 2023 the manufacturer lost more than a quarter of its revenue. The financial performance at the start of 2024 was still not positive. The turnaround came in April, and Merida suddenly started to report strong growth figures again.
Alfred Thun has unveiled its new brand identity at Eurobike 2024. During the show, we sat down with Co-CEO Alexander Thun to discuss the new branding and its associated goals.
TESSENDERLO, Belgium - The delivery problems at Shimano Benelux have arisen since warehousing and distribution was outsourced to logistics service provider Kühne+Nagel in 2023. Although Shimano did not give any reasons for the delivery problem, sources indicate that the 'mismatch' between both IT systems is the main cause of the problems.
SUZHOU, China - Probably the next big growth market after e-bike is motorbikes. Drive systems are available in the market, although the number of manufacturers is still limited. As a specialist for two-wheel drive systems, manufacturer Bafang has stepped into this future growth market and founded the subsidiary T&D e-Motorcycles business group.
COLOGNE, Germany - The former igus:bike of the German plastics specialist has been renamed RCYL ready for market launch. On display at Eurobike, the bicycle is made from 50% recycled fishing nets and requires zero lubrication for the moving components. RCYL is now entering series production in a new facility in Cologne, with igus aiming to produce 5,000 bicycles by next season. Additionally, the company is expanding its bicycle component business including the first injection-moulded polymer bicycle frame for Advanced Bikes.
MALMÖ, Sweden - Nordic sports performance group WeSports has announced the acquisition of a holding stake in Cargobike. In 2023 Cargobike delivered 5,000 cargo bikes generating a turnover of SEK 116 million (€10 million).
德國，法蘭克福（FRANKFURT AM MAIN）－經過為期5天的創新展出、商務會議、交流，及精彩演講後，本屆Eurobike於週日晚圓滿落幕。各項研究調查皆指出，電動自行車和環保交通產業就長遠來說將有良好發展。不過，仍未見市場期待短期內出現的改善。
英國，雷迪奇（REDDITCH）－英國連鎖零售商Halfords於財報中表示，受到自行車市場逆風影響，自行車部門銷售下跌三成。其寫道：「自行車市場整合速度超出預期，造成折扣幅度大增，對毛利率造成龐大短期壓力。」
印度，新德里（NEW DEHLI）－Metro Tyres Limited 正準備進一步擴大自家品牌Ortem在歐美市場的版圖。該印度自行車胎製造商在盧迪亞納（Ludhiana）擁有多座工廠，並投資計畫讓其出口導向工廠的車胎及內胎產能翻倍，實現擴展自有品牌業務。
德國，維克德（WICKEDE）－為遵循最新歐盟法規並加強公司CSR的投入，自行車零件製造商Humpert為其雙層鎳鉻電鍍廠（double-nickel-chrome electroplating）推出大型投資計劃。從7月1日起，所有Ergotec鋼手把的鍍鉻表面都將改為符合REACH法規的三價鉻電鍍技術（Chrome 3）。
FRANKFURT, Germany - On Sunday evening Eurobike 2024 closed the doors after five days packed with innovations, business meeting, networking events and highly informative presentations on several stages. All studies indicate a positive development in the long term for the e-bike and eco-mobility sectors. Nevertheless, the highly hoped-for market improvement in the short term is not in sight yet.
SUZHOU, China - Okawa's preparations to open a production facility in Europe have already started. In the head office of Okawa Motor Technology Co. Ltd in China the first motor assembly line with a high level of automation was being put up during Bike Europe's recent visit. Once fully operational a copy of this assembly line will be shipped to Portugal.
WICKEDE, Germany - To comply with the latest EU regulations and to step up the company's CSR effort, bicycle component manufacturer Humpert rolled out an extensive investment program for its double-nickel-chrome electroplating plant. The chrome-plated surface of all ergotec steel handlebars and handlebars will be switched to the Reach-compliant Chrome 3 process from 1st July.
LONDON, UK - BP subsidiary Castrol has invested €46.7 million in the battery-swapping ecosystems provider Gogoro. Castrol, a global leader in lubricants, recently announced a new strategy and wants to focus on the changing market demand in view of the expanding electric mobility market.
FRANKFURT, Germany - Despite reports of ongoing high inventories in the market, German trade organisation, ZIV, presented an optimistic outlook during a market update on the day before Eurobike fully kicks off in Frankfurt. "Sales of e-bikes remain at a high level, and the overall market situation is characterised by healthy consumer demand," ZIV managing director Burkhard Stork stated when advocating the significant growth potential for the industry.
ST INGBERT, Germany - One of the most modern bicycle factories in Europe: that's the claim Kettler Alu-Rad attaches to its new home in western Germany. Bike Europe visited the €100 million facility to follow the production and assembly process.
NEW DEHLI, India - Metro Tyres Limited is gearing-up to further expand the footprint of its house brand 'Ortem' in the European and US market. The Indian bicycle tyre manufacturer with production sites in Ludhiana has invested in doubling the tyre and tube production capacity of its export-oriented facility to also further expand into the private label business.
荷蘭，海倫芬（HEERENVEEN）－Accell Group執行長Tjeerd Jegen於財報公布明確數據，顯示他自2023年11月上任後公司的財務狀況。該公司獲利持續下降，債務不斷增加。Jegen於荷蘭媒體《FD》的訪談中透露：「經銷商庫存仍過高，尤其德國，導致市場衰退。」
