Thanks to its ‘Made in Germany’ thermo-injected frames, Advanced has seen lots of publicity following the launch of its Reco models. The company has invested heavily in a new assembly plant in Lower Saxony and a new headquarters in Offenbach, just across the Main river from Frankfurt.
There has been a lot of buzz in recent years about shifting supply chains, reshoring and moving to a circular economy. One entrepreneur making real-world strides towards these goals is Advanced’s founder and CEO Helge von Fugler. Looking for shorter lead times, more flexibility and eco-friendly materials, von Fugler got into touch with a German manufacturer of injection-molded plastic products. Soon he became involved in the development of bicycle frames made from a granulate consisting of 60 percent polyamide and 40 percent recycled carbon fibers through thermo-injection. “We teamed up with EFBE for engineering and set out to build a deep-instep frame with plenty of stiffness and a bracket for a mid-motor,” Helge von Fugler explains. The resulting Reco model line created quite a stir in the industry.
Recyclable and made in Germany, the Reco frames offer additional advantages, explains von Fugler: “The total lead time for a frame stands at two months and the production is done within 18 minutes, including finishing steps such as machining the bearing seats. Rather than one or two deliveries per year from a frame builder in Asia, I can get monthly deliveries from our German supplier, allowing for more flexible production planning.” These frames are shipped to Rieste, Lower Saxony, where Advanced has built a 6,000-square-meter assembly plant located next to an exit of the A1 autobahn.
With two state-of-the-art, hanging assembly lines, semi-automated wheel building and large storage areas for incoming and finished goods, this factory has been designed for efficiency. “At full capacity the Rieste factory can produce 300 e-bikes a day or 100,000 units per year. Given the market situation, we’re currently using a single line. By adding solar panels and wind turbines on the factory roof, we expect to produce a large part of our electricity ourselves in the future, further reducing our eco footprint,” von Fugler explains.
Good to know: to offer services to bicycle commuters in the Frankfurt area, Advanced has also invested in new headquarters in Offenbach, which was officially opened in April. Built along a key cycling route along the banks of the Main river, the headquarters houses a café, flagship store, workshop and offices.