Samchuly

Last updated
Samchuly
Native name
三千里
Company type Public
Industry Bicycle
Founded1944;80 years ago (1944)
Headquarters Gangnam-gu, Republic of Korea
Key people
Kim Seok-Hwan, CEO
Number of employees
190 (as of 2011)
Website samchuly.co.kr

Samchuly is a leading bicycle company, and the largest bicycle manufacturer and retailer in Korea. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Samchuly currently operates a manufacturing facility in Uiwang, with a production capacity of 300,000 bicycles per year. The company's offerings consist of folding bikes, women's bikes, children's bikes, racing bikes, mountain bikes and special bikes under brand names such as Andre Kim, Appalanchia, Cello, KENIA, HOUND, NEXT and Lespo.

Contents

Samchuly employs 190 employees, while having over 3000 individual retail stores in all areas throughout South Korea. Samchuly bicycles are also sold in countries such as the United States, Japan, and in various countries in Europe. Samchuly bicycles have been used in international competitions such as the 1988 Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. [1]

Samchuly is known to have top Korean celebrities represent the brand as spokespeople such as Son Ji Chang, Seo Taiji, Fin.K.L, and Han Hyo-joo.

The CEO is Kim Seok Hwan, who is the grandson of Kim Chul-Ho and the founder of Kia Motors. [2]

History

1944–1964

Kim Chul-Ho, founder of Kia Motors, founded Samchuly Bicycle in December 1944. As the first company to produce bicycles in Korea, this was in effect, the beginning of the bicycle industry in Korea. By January 1945, Samchuly was producing many components of the bicycle, including the chain, hub, crank, pedals, and other parts in its own factory. In April 1952, during the Korean war, Samchuly started manufacturing complete bicycles for the first time. This was 85 years after Ernest Michaux started mass-producing bicycles in France. Samchuly was the first to manufacture and sell a complete bicycle in Korea.

1965–1984

As the Korean economy struggled to grow, Samchuly decided to export bicycles to the United States and shipped their first set of bicycles in 1965. President Park Chung-Hee visited Samchuly's factory at Siheung and encouraged Samchuly to help Korea industrialize in the 1970s. Exports to the United States grew very rapidly in the 1970s, with annual exports averaging 100,000 bicycles. By the 1980s, annual exports averaged 300,000 bicycles.

1985–2007

In 1985, Korea established a designated manufacturing complex at Daegu to build bicycles and component parts. This complex planned to establish a manufacturing capacity of 3 million bicycles- one million for domestic consumption and two million for exports. With the support of the government, in 1987, Samchuly was able to manufacture 1 million bicycles from its factory at Yangsan. The following year, the year of the Seoul Olympics, Samchuly exported over 2 million bicycles to the United States alone.

In 1991, Samchuly began producing the popular Lespo models. The firm received ISO 9001 certification in 1995. [3]

2008–

By 2008, the Korean government started to promote environmentally friendly, green policies. A plan to build over 5,200 km of new bicycle paths and roads was released. As well, the Four Major Rivers Project was announced and as a result, plans to build bicycle paths connecting the Han River in Seoul; the Nakdong River in the Gyeongsang provinces, the Geum River in the Chungcheong and North Jeolla regions, and the Yeongsan River in South Jeolla, were announced. In response to government supported policies, Samchuly reviewed the possibility of manufacturing higher end bicycles in Korea.

In July 2009, Samchuly broke ground for its Uiwang factory, which was built for the purpose of manufacturing high-end bicycles such as Cello Sports, a subsidiary brand of Samchuly. The production capacity of the Uiwang factory is 300,000 bicycles. The Uiwang factory's competitive advantage is not in its component parts, but rather in its capacity to tailor make bicycles to order. This factory has the capacity to tailor make bicycles to the specific physical requirements of the customer and customizing bicycles depending on various needs.

Corporate mark and brand mark

The corporate logo's contemporary shape and image in red, supposedly represents development and stability within the company. With Samchuly's traditional symbol of “3000”, it allegedly reflects Samchuly's purported long-term management strategy aimed at being the front-runner in leisure sports in the year 2000.[ citation needed ]

Subsidiary brands of Samchuly

Lespo

Lespo is the leading brand of Samchuly that carries bicycles for women, mountain bikes, and bicycles for professional cyclists as well.

Appalanchia

Appalanchia is a brand of racing bikes and some of fixed gear bikes.

NEXT

The Next brand is a brand with mass distribution, it carries standard bicycles such as entry level bicycles and bicycles for women.

Hound

The Hound brand targets younger individuals.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyundai Motor Company</span> South Korean multinational automaker

The Hyundai Motor Company, often referred to as Hyundai Motors, and commonly known as Hyundai, is a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, which was founded in 1967. Currently, the company owns 33.88 percent of Kia Corporation, and fully owns two marques including its luxury cars subsidiary, Genesis, and their electric vehicle brand Ioniq. The three brands altogether make up the Hyundai Motor Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia</span> South Korean automobile manufacturer

Kia is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second largest automobile manufacturer, after its parent company, Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 2.8 million vehicles in 2019. As of 2015, Kia is owned by Hyundai, which holds a 33.88% stake valued at just over US$6 billion. Kia in turn is a minority owner of more than twenty Hyundai subsidiaries ranging from 4.9% up to 45.37%, totaling more than US$8.3 billion.

Falcon Cycles is a British bicycle manufacturer which was based in Brigg, North Lincolnshire, owned by Tandem Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daewoo</span> Defunct South Korean conglomerate

Daewoo also known as the Daewoo Group, was a major South Korean chaebol and automobile manufacturer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GM Korea</span> South Korean subsidiary of General Motors

GM Korea Company is the South Korean subsidiary of multinational corporation General Motors and the third largest automobile manufacturer in South Korea. GM Korea's roots go back to the former Daewoo Motors vehicle brand, which was split from its parent company, Daewoo Group, in 2002. In addition to importing vehicles for sale into South Korea, the company also operates three manufacturing facilities producing vehicles for the domestic market and for export. The company also operates GM Technical Center Korea, a design, engineering, research & development facility for various GM products, primarily small-size cars.

HDC YoungChang is a South Korean manufacturer of pianos and industrial wood working machinery, headquartered in Incheon, South Korea. Young Chang currently holds 50% of the South Korean piano market. The company is among the largest and most automated of the world's piano manufacturers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyundai Mobis</span> South Korean company

Hyundai Mobis is a public South Korean car parts company. Founded as Hyundai Precision & Industries Corporation in 1977, the company forms the "parts and service" arm for the South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor Company, Genesis Motors and Kia Motors. As of 2014, it was the "world's No. 6 automotive supplier".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Česká zbrojovka Strakonice</span> Czech industrial manufacturer

Česká zbrojovka a.s. is a Czech company producing forklifts Desta and components for the automobile industry, it is former firearms manufacturer, also known for making ČZ motorcycles. ČZ was established as a branch of the Škoda Works Armament in Strakonice, Czechoslovakia in September 1919.

The Raleigh Bicycle Company is a British bicycle manufacturer based in Nottingham, England and founded by Woodhead and Angois in 1885. Using Raleigh as their brand name, it is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. After being acquired by Frank Bowden in December 1888, it became The Raleigh Cycle Company, which was registered as a limited liability company in January 1889. By 1913, it was the largest bicycle manufacturing company in the world. From 1921 to 1935, Raleigh also produced motorcycles and three-wheel cars, leading to the formation of Reliant Motors. Raleigh bicycle is now a division of the Dutch corporation Accell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyundai Motor India</span> South Korean subsidiary in India

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Company headquartered in South Korea. It is the third largest automobile manufacturer in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive industry in Bangladesh</span> Third largest in South Asia

The automotive industry in Bangladesh is the third largest in South Asia.

GS Caltex Corporation is a South Korean Energy and Chemical company jointly owned by Chevron and GS Group. The company was founded in May 1967 as the first private oil company in Korea. The company changed its name from LG-Caltex Oil Corporation to GS Caltex Corporation in 2005 as part of the GS Group split from LG Corporation. GS Caltex exports petroleum, petrochemical, and lubricant products to 57 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive industry in South Korea</span> Overview of the automotive industry in South Korea

The automotive industry in South Korea is the fifth-largest in the world as measured by automobile unit production and also the sixth-largest by automobile export volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cycles Peugeot</span>

Cycles Peugeot, founded in 1882, is a manufacturer of bicycles based in Sochaux, France and currently a part of Cycleurope, a subsidiary of Sweden-based firm Grimaldi Industri.

Elswick Hopper was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of bicycles, formed by the merger in 1913 of the Elswick and Hopper cycle companies. The residual bicycle brands are now owned by Tandem Group

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltik vairas</span>

Baltik vairas is a bicycle manufacturer located in Šiauliai, Lithuania. Tracing its lineage to 1948, the present-day joint-stock company Baltik vairas was established in 1993, after privatization of a state-owned enterprise and is one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in Northern Europe. Baltik vairas focuses on product development, coating and coloring of bicycle components, bicycle decoration and assembly as well as delivery and warranty. The company manufactures around 320,000 bicycles per year, with annual capacity of 500,000, and exports its production to 15 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automotive industry in Vietnam</span>

The automotive industry in Vietnam is a fast-growing sector mainly reliant on domestic sales. All currently produced models are designed abroad by foreign brands, and many rely on knock-down kit production. Due to high import taxes on automobiles, the Vietnamese government protects domestic manufacturing. Although Vietnam is a member of the ASEAN Free Trade Area, automobile imports fall under an exception. Since January 1, 2018, the 30% import tax has been discontinued as part of ASEAN agreements. Currently, the Vietnamese motor industry is not deemed competitive enough to make exports feasible. As of April 2018, 85% of car sales in Vietnam were produced domestically from knock-down kits.

References