HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam - The recent announcement by Vietnam's government to drop COVID-19 restrictions including the opening of the borders for foreign visitors and lifting quarantine measures is expected to have a big impact on the bicycle industry.
Well-known suspension specialist SR Suntour celebrated 10 million suspension units being produced globally back in 2010 and say their subsequent successful growth has been partly fuelled by the fact that e-bikes are much more popular now than 10 years ago.
TAICHUNG, Taiwan - The integration of Foming TW ChangWa this year was the final stage of the consolidation of the DDK-Group. It also marks a €7 million investment in Vacuum Fitting Technology which makes the saddle leather fit automatically without manual nailing, giving the saddle an almost perfect finish.
BINH DUONG PROVINCE, Vietnam - The lockdown and subsequent factory closures in Vietnam have taken a heavy toll on the supply chain in the bicycle industry. All factories in the south of the country, where most of the component manufacturers are located have been closed since mid-July. The situation is slowly improving again.
BINH DUONG PROVINCE, Vietnam - In order to put a stop to the rampant Delta variant, Vietnam has been in lockdown by government decree for a whopping two months. As a direct result, lead-times in the bicycle industry are going up.
TAICHUNG, Taiwan - As with all other Asian bicycle parts manufacturers, saddle maker DDK Group has also reported overwhelming demand for their products. DDK's existing Vietnam factory in Thủ Dầu Một has a production capacity of 10 million saddles annually, while the company reports that their regular customers have forecast 15 million units for next year.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Growing demand for components in Europe to ensure sufficient e-bikes and bicycles in the shops urges components manufacturers in Asia to increase capacity. Industry insiders have already warned that product availability in 2021 will bring a bigger challenge than in 2020.
BINH DUONG, Vietnam - The first violations of the regulations regarding the origin of goods have recently been detected by the customs authorities in Vietnam.
