Bike Europe reports that Ideal Bike Corporation is preparing to shift its production for European Union (EU) markets from Taiwan to China, after it obtained an exemption on anti-dumping duties of 48.5 percent for imports of assembled bicycles from China into the EU. Ideal, the third-largest Taiwanese bicycle producer, opened its Chinese production in Dongguan in 1996. The group manufactures bicycles for companies such as Ridley, BMC and Advanced Sports International (ASI), the company behind the Breezer, Fuji and Kestrel brands, among others. The exemption granted to Ideal was part of the outcome of the European Commission's review of anti-dumping duties. The Commission announced in June that it decided to uphold these duties but Ideal was one of two companies that were fully exempted, while the production of a third manufacturer in China will be subjected to reduced anti-dumping duties of 19.2 percent. Ideal will also move some more production to a facility in Poland, which specializes in electric bicycles. ASI's management was quoted as saying that the shift to China and Poland could help it double its European sales in the next three years.

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