PON.bike has announced that it will open a new manufacturing facility in Lithuania by 2024, which could reach an annual output of 600,000 bikes
The new parent to Cannondale and longer-term umbrella for Gazelle, Kalkhoff, Focus and Urban Arrow, among others, will hire in the region of 300 to 500 staff in the future to manage to expansion of its production capability, adding to its global workforce of around 2,400.
Thanks to its deal with Dorel Sports, PON.bike now has a turnover said to be approaching €2.5 billion and the Lithuanian addition will prop that up with a plant in Kėdainiai that will focus its energy on cementing its place as a leader in sustainable mobility of all forms, giving one of The Netherlands largest companies and automotive giants a significant play in all road-based mobility markets.
“After reviewing a range of options in Central and Eastern Europe, Lithuania came out best. The country clearly stands out in terms of stability, ease of doing business, as well as a motivated and skilled workforce. Given the recent market developments, the excellent logistics Lithuania can offer also were a deciding factor. The city of Kėdainiai is centrally located in the country, has an excellent business infrastructure, and is in the vicinity of Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-biggest city,” said Jacques Geijsen, Spokesman for PON.Bike.
For Pon.Bike there are other incentives to choose Lithuania too. As a Free Economic Zone Lithuania is offering foreign investors what
Invest Lithuania says is “a well-developed physical and legal infrastructure, support services, and tax incentives.
At present, Pon.Bike operates from a factory and headquarters in Dieren, The Netherlands and is currently building a production facility in Clopperburg, Germany too, reinforcing its commitment to European manufacturing.
As an aside to this, Cannondale has plans to
“triple” its output with a new facility of its own in Almelo, The Netherlands. In the USA, a 11,000 metres squared Georgian facility will come online in Q3 of 2022.
