TALI CITY, Taiwan (BRAIN)—Construction is nearing the midpoint at Lezyne’s new 5,000-square-meter factory outside Taichung with a move-in date scheduled before the Taipei Cycle show in early March. (Click on the link above to download the Taichung Bike Week PDF newsletter.)
The large white warehouse set amid rice fields and taro plantations in Tali City about 20 minutes south of Taichung is meant to support the next five to seven years of growth for the design- and engineering-focused P&A brand, said Catherine Lin, Lezyne’s Taiwan-based sales manager.
Lezyne was founded by Micki Kozuschek in March 2007 three years after he sold Truvativ to SRAM. Since then, San Luis Obispo, California-based Lezyne has swiftly grown into a $13 million company with 120 individual SKUs including pumps, multi-tools, hydration packs, saddle bags, shop tools, bottle cages and its latest category, lights.
A walk through Lezyne’s current warehouses and office in Tali City shows the need for new digs—a group of workers assembling LED lights is set up temporarily in the back of one of two large warehouses used to store finished goods as the main production floor is already at capacity with three busy assembly lines reserved for floor pumps and mini-pumps.
In the past year, Lezyne has added about 20 or so new production workers to keep up with demand, and employs between 80 and 90 staff in Taiwan, Lin said. Earlier this year, Lezyne closed its research and development office in the Beitun District north of Taichung in anticipation of consolidating both Taichung facilities into a central location.
The new warehouse, which is owned by Lezyne on leased land, is double the size with ample space for production, warehousing of finished goods, and offices for sales, purchasing, research and development, financial and HR staff.
Once finished, the new space should allow for future growth as Lezyne expands its offering in the light category with blinkies and high-powered racing lights. The company expects 50 percent growth in sales next year, bringing revenue up to $18 million, said Patrick Ribera-McKay, Lezyne’s worldwide marketing manager.
—Nicole Formosa
nformosa@bicycleretailer.com
For more news from Taichung Bike Week, click on link at top to download the PDF newsletter.
