Pon.Bike, the world’s leading bicycle company, will open a new manufacturing facility in Kėdainiai, Lithuania in 2024. The new production center could scale up to an annual production capacity of 600,000 bikes and will be equipped to produce bikes for multiple brands across the company’s premium portfolio, including Gazelle, Kalkhoff, FOCUS, and Urban Arrow. Pon.Bike expects to hire around 300 people over the first three years of operations, a number that could grow to over 500 in the future.
With 2,400 employees globally, Pon.Bike recently became the world’s leading bicycle manufacturer after acquiring Dorel Sports, home to leading international brand Cannondale. After the acquisition, the companies’ combined turnover will reach EUR 2.5 billion.
To be able to cater to a growing demand while keeping logistics simple and efficient, the company is increasing its manufacturing capacity in Europe. Besides running the highly-innovative factory in Dieren, the Netherlands, Pon.Bike is currently building a production plant in Cloppenburg, Germany. The new facility in Lithuania is the latest addition to the company’s expansion plans.
Pon.Bike will set up operations in the 130-ha Kėdainiai Free Economic Zone (FEZ). A ready-to-build industrial site, Kėdainiai FEZ offers foreign investors a well-developed physical and legal infrastructure, support services, and tax incentives.
A strong believer in continuous growth of the global bicycle market, Pon.Bike is committed to making cycling an ever more important part of mobility worldwide. According to the company’s spokesman Jacques Geijsen, the new investment allows Pon.Bike to better adapt to changes in the global micro-mobility solutions industry, in which Europe plays an important role.
Elijus Čivilis, General Manager of Invest Lithuania, believes that the new Lithuanian facility will support Pon.Bike in providing the best products in any bike market segment: “As environmental concerns grow, I am also pleased that Lithuania gets to be part of fulfilling the company’s vision of bolstering sustainable mobility.”
Pon.Bike was established in 2011 with the acquisition of Royal Dutch Gazelle, the leading manufacturer of premium bicycles in The Netherlands. Since then, Pon.Bike has been building a worldwide range of premium bicycle brands, such as Kalkhoff and Focus from Germany, Cervélo and Santa Cruz in the US and the Dutch brands Urban Arrow and BBB Cycling. Over the last decade, Pon also introduced new concepts for rental, lease and retail in the European bicycle market with brands such as Swapfiets and Lease a Bike. Pon.Bike operates in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia with leading brands.
