Product news: REIN4CED from Leuven, Belgium, will in future manufacture the carbon frames for the Accell Group. For this purpose, the company, which specializes in the production of composite materials, recently set up a completely new automated production facility. The first specially manufactured carbon frames will already be on the market in the middle of the year.
The Accell Group includes well-known brands such as Batavus, Koga, Ghost, Haibike, Lapierre, Raleigh and Winora. The component and accessory brand XLC is also a member of the Dutch holding company. According to the Accell Group, it employs around 3.300 people in 18 countries, and the company estimates sales in 2018 at more than one billion euros. The new cooperation partner REIN4CED enables commercial carbon frame production in Europe for the first time, which offers considerable logistical advantages for the Accell Group. The production in Belgium with short distances also has a positive effect on costs - a very nice side effect: CO2 emissions are reduced at the same time.
The production capacity of the REIN4CED in Leuven is up to 20.000 frames per year. The FEATHER composite material newly developed by REIN4CED should guarantee extremely high strength values. The addition of a small amount of steel aims to eliminate the sudden, brittle fracture behavior that many riders fear. According to the manufacturer, the FEATHER material combines the stiffness and low weight of carbon with the durability of steel. The first manufactured carbon frames equipped with the new technology will be used by Ghost in mid-2020 in Germany, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and the Czech Republic.
“This cooperation fits perfectly with the global innovation strategy of the Accell Group and our claim to increase the sustainability of our products. Through on-site production in combination with the new FEATHER technology, we improve the durability and safety of our products and thus achieve maximum performance for our customers. In short: This innovation is clever and environmentally friendly.” – Ton Anbeek, CEO Accell Group