Manufacturer of premium e-bikes – production and painting in Emstek near Cloppenburg, Made in Germany
Kalkhoff Werke GmbH
Emstek, GermanyNew on Amplifa
About Kalkhoff Werke
Kalkhoff Werke GmbH is a manufacturer of premium e-bikes based in Emstek near Cloppenburg. Founded in 1919 by Heinrich Kalkhoff, the company develops and produces its e-bikes for the City, Trekking and Allroad categories in Germany. At the Emstek plant (28.174 m²), opened in 2022, painting is carried out in-house, along with the application of decals, frame and parts pre-assembly, wheel production and final assembly on the assembly line – partly automated, partly by hand. The production is designed for up to 400.000 e-bikes per year. The company employs 733 staff (as of 31.12.2024) and belongs to the Dutch Pon Holding. Quality is assured by an in-house test laboratory and test center with roller and pedaling-force test rigs. Since 2024, Kalkhoff has used exclusively low-temperature powder coatings for priming, with curing temperatures of 160 degrees Celsius.
- Site
- Emstek
- Processes
- E-bike production / final assembly (bicycle assembly), Painting / powder coating (priming with low-temperature powder coating, curing at 160, Applying decals (manually) with clear coat layer, Pre-assembly (frame and parts pre-assembly: cable routing, chain shortening, mudguard processing,, Wheel production (spoking, truing, tire mounting), Final assembly on assembly line, Component and parts testing in the in-house test laboratory (pre-production release testing), Test rig tests: roller test rig (endurance load up to 172 kg additional weight, ~30.000 km),
- Materials
- Aluminium, Low-temperature powder coating
- Founded
- 1919
- Employees
- 733 (as of 31.12.202
- Industries
- Bicycle and e-bike manufacturing, Bicycle and e-bike manufacturing (City, Trekking, Allroad)
- 01
Engineering/Product development
- 02
Component and parts testing in the test laboratory
- 03
Parts warehouse
- 04
Painting/Powder coating (electrostatic, low-temperature powder)
- 05
Hand-applied decals with clear coat
- 06
Frame and parts pre-assembly
- 07
Wheel production (spoke-insertion machines, wheel truing robots)
- 08
Final assembly on assembly line
- 09
Packaging
- 10
Dispatch to specialist dealers
Materials & Processes
Aluminium
Bicycle frames are made of aluminium and painted and assembled at the Emstek plant.
Low-temperature powder coating
Primer powder that is cured at 160 instead of 180 degrees Celsius, reducing energy and gas consumption.
Site
Emstek
DEHeadquarters, production, test laboratory/test center, Brand World
- Lot size
- Large series (up to 400.000 e-bikes/year)
- Materials
- Aluminium
- Final assembly line
- Wheel truing robots
- Spoke-insertion machines
- Paint shop conveyor system (approx. 2 km, 1.850 hooks)
- Chamber oven (powder coating curing)
- Powder coating line
- Roller test rig (up to 172 kg additional weight, ~30.000 km)
- Pedaling-force test rig (up to 1.500 Newton)
- Salt spray test chamber (500 hours)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-bike production / final assembly (bicycle assembly)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Bicycle frames (aluminium, material not explicitly stated) |
| Painting / powder coating (priming with low-temperature powder coating, curing at 160Surface | – | – | – | – | Bicycle frames (aluminium, material not explicitly stated) |
| Applying decals (manually) with clear coat layerSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Pre-assembly (frame and parts pre-assembly: cable routing, chain shortening, mudguard processing,Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wheel production (spoking, truing, tire mounting)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Final assembly on assembly lineAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Component and parts testing in the in-house test laboratory (pre-production release testing)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Test rig tests: roller test rig (endurance load up to 172 kg additional weight, ~30.000 km),Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Corrosion testing (salt spray test 500 hours)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| E-bike development (product management, design of frames and components)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Frame production (manufacturing at the Emstek site according to Wikipedia)Forming | – | – | – | – | Aluminium (not explicitly stated) |
| Packaging of e-bikes (plastic-free cardboard packaging, gluing instead of stapling)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
9 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spoke-insertion machine | – | – | – | – | Kalkhoff plant, Emstek near Cloppenburg |
| Wheel truing robot | – | – | – | – | Kalkhoff plant, Emstek near Cloppenburg |
| Paint shop conveyor system (approx. 2 km, 1.850 hooks on main chain) | – | 1 | – | – | Kalkhoff plant, Emstek near Cloppenburg |
| Chamber oven (powder coating curing) | – | – | – | – | Kalkhoff plant, Emstek near Cloppenburg |
| Roller test rig | – | – | Load up to 172 kg additional weight | – | Kalkhoff test center, Emstek |
| Pedaling-force test rig | – | – | Forces up to 1.500 Newton | – | Kalkhoff test center, Emstek |
| Salt spray test chamber | – | – | – | – | Kalkhoff plant, Emstek |
| Final assembly conveyor line | – | – | – | – | Kalkhoff plant, Emstek near Cloppenburg |
| Powder coating line | – | – | – | – | Kalkhoff plant, Emstek near Cloppenburg |
Additional services
History
- 1919
Founded by Heinrich Kalkhoff in Cloppenburg as a bicycle parts wholesaler
- 1927
Production of the first complete bicycle
- 1950er
Rebuilding of bicycle production; at times 1.200 employees, up to 5.000 frames per day, delivery to 32 countries
- 1972
Death of founder Heinrich Kalkhoff
- 1985/1986
Insolvency; in 1988 transfer to the newly founded Derby Cycle Werke GmbH
- 2007
Start of series production of e-bikes
- 2011
Market launch of the company's own Impulse mid-motor system
- 2012
Derby Cycle acquired by the Dutch Pon Holding
- 2015
Brand relaunch; Kalkhoff Integrale as the first mass-produced e-bike with mid-motor and fully integrated battery
- 2019
100th company anniversary
- 2022
Opening of the new plant in Emstek including Brand World
- 2023
Start of the switch to low-temperature powder coatings
- 2024
iF Design Award for the Kalkhoff Light series; fully converted to low-temperature powder coatings (October); largely plastic-free packaging