SQlab expands ‘Made in Germany’ range, with more to come

Wednesday, 19 October 2022 Simon Cox

SQlab is on a product evolution journey which includes taking established lines, exploring the materials used to achieve performance gains, and relocating the manufacturing in the process.

For a business with partners including leading equipment and apparel brands, evolution is as much about consulting and manufacturing expertise as it is products. With this in mind the expansion of a ‘Made in Germany’ range is just one tangible example of the capabilities that reside within the wider business, and the partnerships which bring product innovations to market.

The 6OX Infinergy Ergowave active saddle has already been existing for 4 years, but not in this version: Made in Germany. The special thing about the new 6OX Infinergy Ergowave active is the foam of the saddle, which is no longer made of classic PU foam, but of the BASF Infinergy material known from running shoes.

This material is very robust and brings comfort to a whole new level, especially in off-road conditions, due to its quicker rebound. There is no cover that is pulled over the entire surface of the saddle, as in classic saddles. There are only ‘tapes’ in the most important places. These are automatically attached to the Infinergy foam without any glue. The production technology was developed by well-known automotive supplier Oechsler in Ansbach/ Germany, for a large, German sports goods manufacturer a few years ago. SQlab and Oechsler then jointly optimized this process for saddles.

Tobias Hild, SQlab founder & managing director – “Since the early days of SQlab – almost twenty years ago – we have been thinking about the production technology for each new product and discuss and work a lot with experts from our region.”

“Until now, the high percentage of manual work has always been the big problem in bringing production back to Germany. In addition, in Taiwan the ‘production know-how’ has reached a very high level. Much of the work is now automated there as well and is carried out according to strict environmental, occupational safety and social guidelines.”

“But what still distinguishes us in Germany is the strong and world-leading mechanical engineering, especially automation and robot technology. So we only had to bring together the best experts from materials research and manufacturing, which we succeeded in doing with Oechsler and BASF.”

“Now it is possible to bring the production back to Germany. This is just the beginning, but there is much more possible. We are looking forward to short distances, short delivery times and a significantly higher speed of innovation.”

Following on from the launch of the 6OX Infinergy Ergowave active saddle is a second Made in Germany Infinergy saddle, the 610, with a third carbon rail option rumoured for early 2023.

As a brand looking to enhance its UK market presence SQlab partnered with the handmade bicycle show Bespoked, granting exhibiting bike builders free access to saddles, among other lines. We’ll see more detail from this collaboration in the coming week.