Last year, nearly 70 million vehicles were exported, maintaining a double-digit growth rate for two consecutive years——


Chinese bicycles, overseas acceleration

  China is a bicycle kingdom, and the mighty bicycle army on the road used to be a unique landscape.

Today, the bicycle army is gradually replaced by electric motorcycles and cars, and bicycles are no longer the main means of transportation.

However, compared with the somewhat quiet domestic market, from 2020 onwards, the export of Chinese bicycles and parts has ushered in a significant growth, and has shown a high-end trend.

What is the reason behind this?

Can the momentum continue?

Let's see what the companies have to say.

In short supply, bicycle exports grow rapidly

  "The order has been placed in the second half of this year, and the production and sales are full. Last year, about 4 million bicycles were exported, accounting for 30% of the company's total sales." said Sheng Kai, business general manager of Shanghai Phoenix Import and Export Co., Ltd. Standing on a new starting point, high-end products are still very tight in the market, and orders continue to grow rapidly."

  The export of this old-fashioned bicycle company is booming, and its performance in developed markets is particularly bright. Among them, the European, American and Japanese markets account for 64% of the Phoenix export market.

  "In 2020, the sales revenue will reach 3.1 billion yuan, and last year's sales reached 5 billion yuan." Yang Yufeng, general manager of Tianjin Jinlun Bicycle Group, also posted the transcript to reporters.

This bicycle company, located in Wuqing, Tianjin, is not well-known among domestic consumers, but its export business is booming.

With an annual output of 250,000 electric bicycles and 2 million bicycles, almost all of the production capacity is used for export. Jinlun's marketing network covers more than 120 countries and regions around the world.

"The models cover a full range of models such as mountain bikes, shock-absorbing bikes, road bikes, city bikes, performance bikes, folding bikes, snowmobiles, baby bikes, and electric bicycles," said Yang Yufeng.

  The outstanding achievements of Phoenix and Jinlun are not isolated phenomena. China's bicycle exports have maintained a double-digit growth rate in the past two years, with a strong momentum.

Customs data shows that in 2021, China's bicycle exports will reach 69.26 million, a year-on-year increase of 14.9%; the export value will reach 5.108 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 40.2%, and both volume and price will increase.

  Industry insiders said that under the background of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, out of safety and health considerations, the number of people choosing bicycles for walking and fitness has gradually increased. Some countries have successively introduced measures such as car purchase subsidies, and the demand for bicycles has skyrocketed. Some countries in Europe and the United States were once insufficient in supply.

  "The overseas bicycle market, especially the high-end bicycle market, has high requirements on brand awareness, manufacturing capacity, sales channels, and customer resources. Only bicycle companies with these characteristics can break the barriers and grow in overseas markets." Sheng Kai said, "In 2020, Phoenix has acquired two Tianjin bicycle export companies, and the export scale has doubled."

  Not only the export of complete bicycles is growing rapidly, but also the export of spare parts is in short supply.

Liu Chunsheng, general manager and founder of bicycle derailleur manufacturer Blueprint Controller Technology, has been busy lately.

"The epidemic has caused transmission manufacturers in the United States and Japan to delay supply. Some delivery cycles are as long as two years. The market is facing a large gap. We can deliver in one month, and orders have been increasing." Liu Chunsheng said that with excellent quality and Due to the shorter delivery cycle, not only domestic brands such as Phoenix and Xidesheng have taken a fancy to the blueprint transmission, but some international manufacturers have also become their customers.

  Guo Wenyu, vice chairman and secretary general of the China Bicycle Association, said that China has made great progress in the R&D and innovation of core bicycle components, "Especially under the influence of the epidemic, domestic key component companies can immediately replenish production capacity and play a positive role in the healthy development of the industry. effect".

Independent innovation, to enter the middle and high-end products

  If you pay more attention, you will find that the growth rate of bicycle export value is much higher than that of export volume, which means that the export price of bicycles is increasing, and the export of high value-added competition bicycles, mountain bicycles, and electric bicycles is growing rapidly.

  "A large part of the growth of Jinlun's sales comes from electric bicycles." Yang Yufeng said, "The average price of electric bicycles sold by Jinlun in the European market is 1,000 euros. Last year, the sales volume was 250,000. With the expansion of production capacity this year, it is expected to continue to grow."

  Why can electric mopeds sell for high prices?

  According to Yang Yufeng, the basic structure of electric bicycles is similar to that of traditional bicycles. At the same time, electric motors and lithium batteries are added as riding assistance. Compared with electric bicycles familiar to domestic consumers, the body is lighter. Extend to more than 15 kilometers.

  "This new type of two-wheeled product meets the needs of medium-to-long-distance commuting scenarios. There are many mountainous countries in Europe, and various slopes are extremely common. Using ordinary bicycles will bring a great burden, and electric assist products solve this problem very well. As a pain point, it has expanded the cycling group, allowing more people with weak sports ability to enjoy cycling." Sheng Kai said, "40% of the bicycle market share in the Netherlands has been occupied by electric bicycles, and the share of electric bicycles in Germany is also Rapidly growing, e-bikes have become a major trend in the development of the European bicycle market.”

  Behind the increase in export unit price is the arduous march of domestic bicycles to the middle and high end of the industrial chain.

This requires not only keen market insight, but also the advancement of independent research and development capabilities.

  It is understood that in 2020, Phoenix will set up a high-standard lithium battery research and development and testing center, focusing on lithium battery power-assisted products, and continuously expand and improve the product line. At present, three series of electric bicycles with mountain, city and special functions have been formed.

  "E-bikes have three core components: motor, battery and controller." Yang Yufeng said, "The software system on the controller is completely self-developed, the battery and motor are jointly developed with partners, and the core components must be in their own hands. , which is part of the company's core competitiveness."

  Liu Chunsheng, a middle-aged entrepreneur, also felt deeply: "China's bicycle production accounts for more than half of the world's bicycle production, but the transmission is 'stuck' and basically depends on imports. Many companies can only earn 'hard money'."

  The transmission is the "heart" of the bicycle, and it is also the most profitable part. Mature manufacturers have built strict patent barriers to protect their market positions.

"Don't look at it's small size, but it is a very complex system, involving the coordination and cooperation of more than 160 parts. Any error may affect the whole." Liu Chunsheng said, "For example, you will hear a 'click' when shifting. The cyclists received feedback: the shifting was successful. The blueprint could not tune this sound at one time, and in the eyes of customers and consumers, even if it did not affect the shifting, there was still a problem with the product.”

  After trial and error, I finally found the crux: just a 0.3mm difference in the chamfer of the gear.

"Similar problems are numerous, and we need to overcome them one by one." Liu Chunsheng said.

  By bypassing patent barriers and polishing product details, Blueprint spent more than three years developing its own technical route, avoiding patent disputes with American and Japanese manufacturers.

At present, Blueprint has more than 100 patents, ranking third in the world, developed more than 200 types of transmissions, shipped more than 200,000 sets per month, and served more than 200 global customers.

More efforts, brand building keeps pace

  The growth is gratifying, but not without its worries.

After a short outbreak, the demand dividend brought by the epidemic has gradually been released. How to keep exports strong?

What is the future of brand building?

This is the most concerned issue of China's bicycle industry at present.

  "In the future, bicycle companies should focus on 'double electricity', which has become an industry consensus." Yang Yufeng said that one "electricity" is electric bicycles, and the share of electric bicycles in the European and American markets will increase exponentially.

Just as traditional car companies in the automotive industry may not be able to dominate the new energy vehicle market, the upgrading of bicycle products also gives latecomers the opportunity to surpass. Bicycle companies must do a good job in the research and development and service guarantee of electric bicycles.

  "Can the company respond quickly when a user encounters a fault while riding an electric moped? This is a great test of brand power, and it is also the cornerstone to support the brand premium." Yang Yufeng said.

  The remote diagnosis system developed by Jinlun uploads the problem to the background through the controller, and quickly comes up with a solution after the background analysis.

"Most problems come from software programs, prompting customers to download a new installation package. If there is a problem with the battery, you can send a new one, and the problem can be solved quickly." Yang Yufeng said.

  Another "electricity" mentioned by Yang Yufeng is e-commerce.

  The epidemic has accelerated the transformation of people's consumption habits, and online shopping has become more and more frequent.

But there is no real car experience, how to attract consumers to choose their own products?

Phoenix spent a lot of thought.

"One of our solutions is to let consumers see how Phoenix Bicycles was born," said Luo Cong, head of the digital foreign trade team at Shanghai Phoenix Import & Export Co., Ltd.

  Cutting, pinning, punching, fitting spokes with man-machine, tightening rims, installing reflectors and flywheels... In a live broadcast, overseas cyclists were invited to the Phoenix Danyang factory to witness everything from parts to The complete production process of the vehicle has attracted the attention of many overseas consumers.

  Since 2020, Phoenix has established a digital foreign trade team. Through new business models and display models such as live broadcasts and cloud exhibitions, it has expanded and achieved good results on cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Ali International Station and LAZADA International Station.

  "In the past, we took the road of scale development, and now the trend of consumption upgrading is emerging. Phoenix, focusing on the upgrading strategy, gathers outstanding R&D talents in the industry, establishes R&D centers, creates innovative and characteristic products, launches high-end brand FNIX, connects online and offline, and forms a new brand, product and channel system." Sheng Kai said.

  "In the field of bicycle shifting devices, Japan's Shimano has been doing it for more than 100 years, and the American Speedlink has more than 30 years of experience. Compared with the industry's leading brands, the blueprint is still very young, and there is still a gap between the details and the competitors. The types of kits are not rich enough." Liu Chunsheng admitted that industrial products often need to be polished for a long time to continuously improve the quality.

"In the past few years, the blueprint has run very fast. In the future, we will continue to do a good job in technical research, and we will work steadily and step by step."

  When it comes to specific products, Liu Chunsheng said that Blueprint will make more layouts at the level of electronic transmissions. Competitors have only been in this area for 10 years, which is a good breakthrough for Blueprint. "China's electronics industry has a solid foundation. Very confident."

  Reporter: Kang Pu