KTM Fahrrad investment will see 300 new jobs and €30m spent

KTM Fahrrad has revealed more detail on its deep investment into the business, with local press reporting that 300 new jobs are to be added and about €30 million spent.

Back in February it emerged that the business was planning to commit heavily to its expansion, with stats at the time suggesting that 82% of bikes made would now come with pedal assistance in a bid to meet a market demand for electric bikes.

The scale of the task was detailed at a presentation of the firm’s new facility this month which was attended by the State Councilor for Economic Affairs, Markus Achleitner (ÖVP).

“The corona crisis has also led to a boom in bicycles and e-bikes. Bicycles and e-bikes are now not only in demand for leisure and holidays, but also increasingly in everyday life, for trips to the office or for shopping. Bicycle and e-bike manufacturers in Upper Austria in particular have benefited greatly from this and are producing more than before the crisis – including KTM Fahrrad GmbH, which has now become Austria’s largest bicycle manufacturer. KTM Fahrrad responded to this with an investment package totaling more than 30 million euros, of which not only the Innviertel but the entire Upper Austria benefits. At the same time, it provides important impulses for the mobility transition,” the councillor said.

“While KTM Fahrrad sold 265,000 bikes in the season before Corona, including 190,000 e-bikes, in the current 2020/2021 season, which ended on July 31, 2021, there are already 350,000 bikes sold, of which 230,000 are e-bikes. In the new 2021/2022 season, which runs from August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022, KTM Fahrrad has already sold 460,000 bikes, 280,000 of which are e-bikes. Particularly pleasing: All e-bikes are manufactured in Mattighofen,” he added.

The statement mentioned two prior projects, completed in Mattighofen in 2019 and a new complete bike hall in Schalchen in 2020, but went on to discuss a further four construction projects now in the pipeline that will account for the new jobs and investment, one of which was the completed new hall from which the press conference took place.

“Then a new, state-of-the-art paint shop with organic paints and painting robots will be built on the back of this site. In addition, KTM Fahrrad is building two more halls for logistics in Schalchen, on the one hand another hall for complete bikes and on the other hand a hall as a distribution center for bicycle accessories, clothing, helmets, etc.These four construction projects will all be tackled this year and most of them will even be completed. They alone account for an investment of more than 20 million euros, ”said Provincial Councilor Achleitner.

Coming at the same time as the new IPCC climate report, the Councillor stressed the new buildings were modernised to meet emissions challenges. Included on the building where the meet took place photovoltaic systems installed will generate more than 450,000 watts per hour of CO2 -neutral electricity at peak times. 

The recruitment drive during the Covid-led bike boo saw the workforce grow from 420 to 500 and with production and logistics work to be expanded upon a further 100 employees in the next two months alone.

The councillor’s full speech can be read here.