Exceptional

It takes skilled
workers to create
Büchel’s bicycle
components.
Japanese and Taiwanese companies, whose
cheap products forced many German
manufacturers out of the market.
So Büchel made a brave and unpopular
decision: in 1979, he packed all the
company’s machinery into large containers,
shipped them to Malaysia and rebuilt his
factory in the Far East. In 1985, he moved
again, this time to China, forming an alliance
with a Shanghai–based investment company
and founding Huade Plastics. Büchel thus
became the first German mid–market
company to merge with a Chinese firm.
“Many of my colleagues in the industry
described me as a deserter,” Büchel recalls.
“But if I hadn’t taken this radical step, we
wouldn’t be here today.”
Indeed, his strategy saved the company —
in contrast to many others in the bicycle and
vehicle sector in Germany and the rest of
Europe, which fell by the wayside — and also
laid the basis for its further growth.
“If you want to make a difference,
you need strong partners,” Büchel says.
“They can help you to make the seemingly
impossible possible. The move to China and
the alliances with our local partners not only
assured our survival, but also gave us the
opportunity to return to our headquarters
in Zella–Mehlis.”
This was in 1991, after the breakdown of
the GDR and the reunification of Germany
had made it feasible for Büchel to return
to the town where his father and uncle
had founded the company, and to rebuild
the factory. He stresses that, without the
successful “detour” to the Far East, he would
not have been able to afford to do this. “My
motto is simple: in Germany, do what is
“If I hadn’t taken
this radical step, we
wouldn’t be here.”
possible — in China, do what is necessary.”
Today, Büchel has 250 employees in
Germany and 600 in China and is one of the
leading European manufacturers of vehicle
and bicycle components, with production
sites in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Latvia and
China. Its products are distributed in Europe,
Asia, Australia and the US and include
Erhard Büchel is
closely involved
with the production
process.
spokes, luggage racks, bells, lights, high–
quality leather saddles and premium wheels.
“I’m happy whenever I can make a
difference or develop or build something
new,” says Büchel, “whether it’s a new site,
like our recently opened circuit board factory
in Shanghai, or a new product like our
innovative easy–running dynamo, which
we have just patented.”
Büchel’s story shows that it’s possible
to achieve the impossible, like the company’s
successful return to Germany and the
rebuilding of the factory. But you have
to make the right decisions — and find the
right partners.
Exceptional February–June 2016 27