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Moreno Fioravanti (ACCELL, EBMA and COLIBI), Raymond Gense (PON Bicycle Group), Arne Melse (DHL Express N) and Kevin Mayne (ECF Development Director)

The cycling industry continues to solidify its role as an influential player on the global business landscape. However, to reach maximum impact on policy and sales, the industry needs to take on board expertise from other sectors. PON joining the ECF’s Cycling Industry Club (CIC) is both a clear indication that this is happening and that advocacy is a key tool in honing the sector’s success. For the first time, PON will speak out at the upcoming ECF Advocacy Summit (August 28th), which will take place during Eurobike 2014 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Register now!

PON is a unique example of a business leader that has moved successfully between the bike and automobile industries. After expanding its product portfolio to include some of the world’s most prestigious cycling brands, PON has become one of Europe’s leading bike manufacturers.

Starting from the bike business in the 19^th century, the company switched in 1947 to the import and sale of Volkswagen vehicles in the Netherlands. From then on, PON has expanded their business focus from cars, to trucks (MAN) and even to equipment (Caterpillar) dealerships, as well as expanding to be the Dutch Continental bicycle tire dealer over the last few decades.

What does a company of this magnitude have to gain from joining CIC? This response came from Raymond Gense, Director of Future Technology & Public Affairs at PON Bicycle Group, “We see CIC as a relevant addition to the work of the current branch representatives in Brussels as it focusses on developing the market and campaigning for cycling in general.”

Another motivation for PON is sharing expertise between different companies who all strive towards the same goal: more bike sales! As Gense mentioned, “the automotive industry has become extremely professional over the years with market intelligence being an important part of its strength. PON sees several opportunities to use their automotive experience to enhance the quality, professionalism and competitiveness of the European bike industry.”

This collaboration elevates the bike industry to a new level of strength where it has more power to influence politicians and policy makers. ECF’s Cycling Industry Club, as the trusted center of expertise for all things cycling, is a circle of powerful representatives of the industry. For the first time ever, they are collaborating openly to build a strong global alliance in favor of cycling development. According to Gense, “PON hopes the CIC will develop into a serious partner for all European bike production and sales entities, representing their interests and ideas in a consolidated European forum.”

“We are very excited to have PON as an instrumental member of ECF’s Cycling Industry Club. We are looking forward to welcome more companies that understand that advocacy means better business”, said Kevin Mayne, ECF Director of Development.

Gense and a number of industry representatives will be attending the CIC Advocacy Summit at the upcoming Eurobike. You can join the high-level networking event by filling out this simple form!