Sector analysis bicycle production in Germany / BikeProd

The Institute for Work and Technology of the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences examines bicycle production in Germany with regard to its growth and employment requirements and potential. The project partner is the T3 Transportation Think Tank. The following three research questions are pursued:

1. To define bicycle production in Germany on the basis of existing companies, products and locations and, in consequence, to analyse employment, working conditions and qualification trends. Particular attention is paid to the new demands placed on employees because of digitalisation.
2. To understand the innovation dynamics of the industry and their impact on manufacturers’ business models. The focus here is on the fluid transition between production and trade, the trend to produce “connected bikes”, and cross-innovations from other sectors, e.g. the automotive industry.
3. To define the role of the German location in global bicycle production by analysing the international interdependencies of manufacturers, their integration into value chains and friend/nearshoring activities.

The research project is funded by the Hans-Böckler-Foundation