Dahon Bicycles will have its folding bicycles manufactured for the Chinese market through a deal with the Kelin Group, a bicycle producer located in Northern China, and the company will soon announce similar plans for manufacturing in Europe. The expansion will be made through alliances, particularly with OEM production and the licensing of various technologies.
Dahon currently produces all of its bicycle frames in-house and has a majority of its bicycles assembled at its main factory in Shenzen, China. The company, based in Los Angeles, outsources part of the production process to facilities in Taiwan, Macau, Europe and China.
Dahon’s partnership with Kelin is in line with its plan to increase its overall manufacturing capacity for folding bicycles to 800,000 units within three years, including 100,000 electric units. Also included in the deal are licenses for a portion of Dahon’s 160-plus patents.
In the meantime, David Hon, president of Dahon, will be heading up an R&D and testing facility in Shenzen. The South China Innovative Bicycle Industry Park, as the laboratory is called, is being set up and supported by China’s government to raise the overall quality of bicycles made in China.
