BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
In a four minute business piece Lucy Craft reported from Taiwan on Giant’s history, manufacturing techniques and success on the April 16th edition of Public Radio Internationals (PRI) programme ‘The World’, a US radio station, also available on the web.
Starting with the decision of Giant founder King Liu to create 10-speed bicycles to fill the boom in US cycling in the 70s, the story went on to explain how Schwinn’s 1980 decision to drop Giant and source bikes from China lead King Liu to create a house brand.
From humble beginnings studying the production and management techniques of Toyota, WalMart and General Electric, Giant developed "the leanest, meanest production line" and produced premium components that could be commodified through a commitment to quality and investment into branding, said Craft.
"Now Toyota managers come to Taiwan for hints on boosting efficiency. With Taiwan and China gaining entrance into the World Trade Organization, Giant is expected to gain even more market share."
Listen to the piece at:
