Investments in European production continue

In recent years an increasing number of companies are opting for close to market production in Europe. Spurred on by the need for a consistent supply chain following issues during the pandemic, investments in European manufacturing continue to grow. Sustainability is also playing a part with more companies looking for alternative products which are ‘Made in Europe’.

Thun restarts crank production in Germany

Well known as a manufacturer of a wide variety of 'Made in Germany' bottom brackets, Alfred Thun GmbH has announced that it will diversify its product range. During its long history, the company already produced cranks and after a stop of more than 30 years, Thun will restart it again.

The Revolution 2.0 of Rev II crankset shown at Eurobike marks the re-launch of Thun cranksets. The high-end Rev II refer to the company's history in crankset production which was terminated in the early nineties of the twentieth century. The flagship product Rev II is CNC-machined in Germany and available in 165 mm, 170 mm and 175 mm lengths.

Mass production in 2025-26
The design and high-quality finish, makes the Rev II the crank suitable for high-end e-bikes with mid-motors. Thun confirms the real game changer lies in the announcement that they will start with mass production of standard, low to mid-end market crank in 2025 or 2026. The German company will use an all-new production technology which makes large volume manufacturing in central Europe economically efficient. "We have learned from our highly automated bottom bracket production that this is the only way to bring back production to Europe," said Alfred Thun GmbH co-CEO Alexander Thun.

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DDK to open European factory in Romania

To offer more flexibility and to increase its service level to customers, saddle manufacturer DDK has announced the opening of a European factory in Romania. “We’ve been considering expanding into Europe for a long time,” explains DDK’s Global Marketing Director Joy Sung. “A European factory is the first part of a strategy which will eventually lead to the opening of a full-fledged European production base.” The opening of this factory is seen by many as a first logical step for Taiwanese company to start production in Europe. Joy Sung emphasizes that “opening a production facility in Europe will never replace our existing Asian factories but it will increase our overall capacity and our ability to quickly service our European customers.”

Step-by-step development program
In the first stage, DDK will open a local warehouse to support sales and service. It will handle logistics for finished saddles and grips made in their Asian facilities for European customers. Depending on the evolving market situation, DDK will decide when to begin production in Europe. The final step would be the start of mass production. Joy Sung emphasizes that before DDK will take the next steps, the company will carefully consider the market conditions.

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France adopts plan to strengthen bicycle industry

In May 2023 the French government presented a plan to develop the bicycle industry in France. With a €2 billion budget, the plan will run from 2023 to 2027 and has several goals. This year already €250 million has been released. The French government wants to strengthen the place of cycling in the economy.

“We announced the upcoming launch of a call for projects to strengthen the French bicycle industry and bring back the industry in our territories,” explains Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, responsible for industry. Following a meeting hosted by the Ministry of Industry, the bicycle industry is now actively pursuing its work to define with its stakeholders, a structure, governance, and projects that will carry out the industry’s commitments. A contract will be signed with the government this year.

Develop industrial competitiveness
One of the objectives is to strengthen the place of the bicycle in the French economy. The government wants to support innovation and structure a complete economic sector around the bicycle, from assembly to recycling. To this end, a call for projects will be launched as part of ‘France 2030’. This is a €54 billion program deployed over five years that aims to develop industrial competitiveness and technologies in France. In the bike industry, the goal is to assemble 1.4 million bikes in France by 2027 and 2 million units by 2030. In 2022, 854,000 bicycles were assembled in French factories.

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Ciclo Fapril expands cargo bike frame factory

Ciclo Fapril is expanding its Alufap unit in Portugal by another 12,000 square meters. Dedicated exclusively to the production of frames for cargo bikes, long-tails and carriers, the expansion is expected to be completed in April 2024 and fully operational within a year.

“Following the success of the Portugal Bike Value project, we announce this project for the production of steel and aluminium frames and components for cargobike bikes and long tail frames,” said Ciclo Fapril CEO Vital Almeida last year. The additional floorspace in the factory will be used for component preparation, fully robotic welding, as well as to install new machinery for epoxy preparation and painting. The total area available for the cargo bikes, long-tails and carriers at Ciclo Fapril now measures 18,000 square meters.

Reinforce our design and development capabilities
“This investment is in line with our strategy to reinforce the design and development capabilities of our Bikinnov – Technology and Innovation Centre, as well as to develop and create internal capacities for testing final products,” said Vital Almeida. “We regard this an essential step forward in the Portugal Bike Value project. The development and manufacturing of components for all bicycle categories is leading in our philosophy. We believe sustainable production directed towards more recycling is the future for our industry here in Portugal.”