Re: Re:
JSO":d7caep9s said:
How bout Klein?
From this…..
To this…… in ten short years
To be fair, this Purchase by Trek was more about increasing market share, than anything else. Efficency and Profit, again easier to Buy a Name than Build One, Look at Bontrager, as much as it saddens me to say it, the shop was all but closing anyway (and that did come from the horses mouth by the way) Trek Stepped in and the Name Lives on, And not just that, Keith is able to help design and Promote, without the headaches, and Trek are able to manufacture/Jointly manufacture an extended Product range, from pumps to Brakes, with other manufacturers, Bearing the Bontrager Brand name, and we buy it,
I guess if we saw a bike with a "Say" Dual pivot brake that read "CHING DING DONG" we would shy away, But if we see it and it reads "Bontrager"... we instantly feel re assured, nice a and cosy and Warm.
The Value is in the Brand Name and How we Percieve it.
And of course Trek can make even more money or use the saving to improve the technology/Quicker, By not having to succumb to the Might of say Shimano, and there Expense.
(Edit) Take a look at the bottom Trek Manufactured Klein, the rear end was made in Chehalis at the klein Factory, the front at Wisconsin at the trek factory (at the beginning anyway) the fork was bought in, as was the Shimano, but take another look at the rest of the bike, the Bontrager stem, post, bars, chainset, hubs, rims, tyres, saddle, etc etc etc......,
all these items were far east product that were Branded, Minimal Shimano on the bike, breaking down the monopoly Shimano and other suppliers had gained in the market place through there brand awareness and quality strategy....., Shimano etc was replaced with another Branded Product though......Bontrager.
Had they not Bought the Brand name, they were faced with either being held to ransom by the likes of Shimano and its rising costs, or devalue there brand by spec'ing unheard of far east names with no credibility, or worse still sent there entire manufacturing to the far east.
Would we have bought it if the higher cost of having an American made alloy frame was laden with no name far east components? could they have continued handbuilding in the USA if Shimano etc had continued there Dominance.? would they have remained Viable,
Either way they made some tough decisions, in the end, we still got to keep Trek US, we still Got to Keep Keith Bontrager, and Shimano didn't get there way.....!
