Since the beginning of our collaboration with Caddie for the production of our serial accessories, we work hand in hand to make “Made in France” as accessible as possible. So, with each new series, we invest in new tools, with two interests in mind each time: the durability of the product, and the reduction of its cost.
To reduce a cost, there are a few main axes that are all too classic: reduce human intervention time, increase volume, relocate. Most of the time, these three axes are applied at the same time, because the markets are real jungles of “cheapest at any price”.
Reducing human time, or outsourcing, is a no. Increase the volume, yes, but try to remain responsible. That is to say, to produce enough to have a reasonable price, to compete with the less healthy productions and to dream of replacing them, but not to fall into the overproduction that is corrupting our way of consuming.
To move forward in this direction, we are now adopting a new welding process for all our metal accessories (luggage racks, bottle cages, etc.): resistance welding, replacing manual TIG welding. This process has been mastered by Caddie for several years and has required the development of specific tools. However, it allows us to reduce the number of rejects (non-conforming products, which in the worst case become waste) and to reduce the price of our accessories.
In early December, we will announce the launch of several new references produced in this way. Today, discover the new version of our bottle cage,
available now on our store
. Previously at 22 euros, our bottle cage is now at 12 euros.
For the curious, here is a summary of the principle of resistance welding:
The two parts to be welded together are held under pressure between two electrodes. Then a strong current flows through them to reach the melting point of the material and unite the two pieces. To make the welding as durable as possible, we make bosses to “concentrate” the support between the two parts. On the body of a basket, there are no less than 200 soldering points per resistor!
See you at the beginning of December for the announcement of several new features!
