The husband and wife team at Idaho’s K-Edge manufacturing know the importance of detailed cycling accessories, quality control and getting home in time for dinner.
By Jahla Seppanen
K-Edge, maker of precision chain catchers, camera and computer mounts, and other cycling accessories, is redefining what it means to work from home. This Boise, ID, manufacturer was founded by the husband and wife team of Joe Savola and Kirsten Armstrong – the two-time Olympic gold medalist (2008 and 2012) for women’s individual cycling. Together they unknowingly created what would become K-Edge, when inventing the first chain-catchers for Armstrong’s bike during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Trials.
Today, the company still headed by husband and wife, not only manufactures all products domestically, but at their home base in Boise. “The only outsourced components of the K-Edge line are the aluminum anodizing for their color options and the injection molded co-polymer insert for the K-Edge Garmin computer mounts,” said Savola in an interview with SGB.
However, “outsourced” doesn’t hold its traditional meaning of overseas sourcing. The co-polymer Savola referred to is produced by Adaptive Technologies, Inc., based in Nampa, ID, while the other “outsourced” components come from Anodizers Inc., also located in Boise. “We’re proud to keep all of our manufacturing in the Boise Valley,” Savola added.
As members of the outdoor industry, Savola and Armstrong understand the nature in which travel is a component of the job. For Armstrong, who grew up in an army family that constantly moved, only to grow up to be a competitive cyclist and move for training and competition, the importance of having a home-base is essential. In regards to their company, the decision to make K-Edge a local Made in the USA brand had to do with quality control that would allow for more time with the family, at home.
General Manager of AceCo Precision Manufacturing Eric Jensen (left), with K-Edge Founders Kristin Armstrong (middle) and Joe Savola (right).
Savola said, “A major advantage of manufacturing locally is quality control. If there’s an issue or an improvement that we want to make with a K-Edge product, we can go out on the machine shop floor and work with the engineers and machinists to address it. That means no long plane trips, no time away from the family and no late night conference calls.”
Another advantage Savola laid out is an increased ability to adapt to market innovations and time-to-market. “Because we have our own manufacturing facility, we are able to react quickly to market changes. For example, in Spring 2014, we had knowledge that Garmin was about to introduce a new, larger cycling computer. Within four weeks, we were able to design, prototype and manufacture a computer handlebar mount that supported the new Garmin. And we were able to announce with product availability on the exact same day Garmin introduced.”
The new K-Edge Computer Mounts for Garmin were introduced this 2015 season at the Eurobike and Interbike trade shows. Other product highlights from the upcoming line are the Go Big Camera Mounts for GoPro and Single Rung CX Chain Guide.
In the past, the company’s mounts and chain catchers have been used by champions at the Tour de France, World Cups, Ironman and Olympics. Trickling down to the consumer level, cyclists gain an edge (the Kristin Edge, to which the company was named) by upgrading to the simple yet elite level performance of K-Edge accessories. The old saying, the devil is in the details, rings true for the world of performance cycling, when a dropped chain can be the difference between Gold or bust.
Savola sees “a huge opportunity to bring back manufacturing to the U.S.,” adding that the bulk of the cycling industry’s products are manufactured out of the country. “K-Edge has gained a tremendous amount of respect and notoriety worldwide for being Made in the U.S.,” he said. “But the biggest challenge we face is maintaining a cost structure that allows us to be price competitive in the global cycling market.”
For the most part, it’s true – outsourcing is a popular cost-efficient option employed by many outdoor and performance brands. But K-Edge is optimistic, and judging by the company ethos of home and family, Savola and Armstrong will work to keep operations.
K-Edge has gained a tremendous amount of respect and notoriety worldwide for being Made in the U.S.
Savola explained, “With the plethora of manufacturing options available oversees and used by our competition, we’re continually looking for ways to maintain competitiveness by investing in automation and more efficient processes. We also know that staying ahead of our competition with higher quality and new products helps us maintain the leadership position that we have in the cycling market.”
All companies whether made in the U.S. or globally experience their unique challenges. K-Edge has proven that their consumers look for quality and care, which has allowed the business to flourish almost completely by word-of-mouth. “I also believe that the consumer is willing to pay a bit more for the quality products that we provide,” he said. “That’s what it’s going to take though, more companies making products in the U.S. and the consumers supporting this with their pocketbooks.”
Savola concluded, “Honestly, there are not many drawbacks to making our products in the U.S.” This may be undercutting the battle of maintaining a competitive cost structure or manufacturing to meet growing demands, but it might also be that during the workday, Savola and Armstrong know they get to go home when the clock hits five. They know that family is fundamental and a home is worth working hard for.
