Specialized, the cycling brand based in Morgan Hill, CA, announced that Germany’s Denk Engineering had joined the company, forming the Specialized Freiburg Innovation Center.
Specialized CEO Scott Maguire said, “This merge is an important part of a larger strategy to develop our European Innovation Hub. We will build a new state-of-the-art innovation center facility in Freiburg, Germany, with expanded capabilities to complement our facility in Cham, Switzerland. Our world-class innovation team will work in both locations with a single focus—to better serve riders by creating bikes that deliver breakthrough performance faster than ever.”
Peter Denk, founder and managing director, Denk, said, “This union is very logical. Denk Engineering has been operating as an extension of the Specialized team for years. We have always shared the same values, but this next step will provide the resources, tools and common processes to unlock the next fifty years of innovation. In addition to developing leading road and mountain bike platforms, the Specialized Freiburg team is excited to focus on bikes that will be part of the solution for a sustainable CO2-free future.”
Eric Schuda, leader, Performance Bike Innovation, Specialized, said, “By investing in and unleashing the potential of the best talent in the world, we are able to give riders their dream rides before they even dream them. To deliver on our purpose and stay ahead of the competition, we are committed to investing in deep, long-term innovation—it is core to our values. This merger and innovation center enhancement is an example of that commitment, as are the investments we’ve made in the teams and facilities at our multiple innovation centers in North America and Asia.”
