Strategic Sports’ Global Factory Approach Addresses Growing Trade Restrictions
With Global trade policy driven by the US and Europe becoming more complex, factories must evolve to offer more manufacturing and supply chain options and solutions for their customers.
“Due to a decrease in overseas orders, plants in China must consider what they can do in the future, to develop the Asian and European markets or provide product specifically for the Chinese market,” said Strategic Sports LTD Managing Director Norman Cheng in a recent article published by the South China Morning Post.
With new factories in Portugal, Vietnam in addition to our multiple existing locations in China, Strategic Sports is uniquely positioned to offer regionally favorable supply chain solutions, better pricing and shorter lead times along with exceptional product quality, innovation and sustainable manufacturing processes.
Factories are positioned worldwide to address growing markets, trade restrictions and transit logistics.
PORTUGAL: Established in 2013 and acquired by Strategic in 2021, our 50,000 sq.ft Portugal Factory employs a staff of 150 and specializes in small production runs and speed to market. Our Portugal factory is a capable and well positioned European supply chain solution.
Located in the mountains outside Porto, Portugal where managing Director Norman Cheng often goes for long runs
VIETNAM: Construction for our Vietnam factory commenced in January 2020 and was then restarted in October 2022. This facility currently focuses on composite and injection molded motorcycle helmets, with Inmold helmet capabilities coming within the next two years. Being located in Vietnam, this gives Strategic Sports customers an option that can streamline supply chains and address trade barriers.
Our newest factory in Bihn Phuc, Vietnam uses reclaimed rainwater among other environmentally sustainable practices.
CHINA: Our China factory consists of 10 facilities covering 1.1 million square feet and employing a staff of 5,000 people. The bulk of our production comes from these facilities, serving the global market including the most complicated and state-of-the art projects.
Strategic Sports LTD is credited with opening the first bicycle helmet factory in China. All China factories now feature solar power.
Innovation Never Rests - And There’s Important Work to Be Done
Our global factories are constantly evolving. Whether it’s the addition of sustainable and renewable technology and practices like reclaimed rainwater or solar power for all China-based facilities, or proprietary and patented materials that dramatically reduce rotational and lateral impact injury to help prevent brain injuries, or techniques and processes allowing Strategic to offer helmets made of 100% reclaimed, renewable and recyclable materials, Strategic Sports is relentlessly innovative. It’s in our DNA and it’s something we apply to our factories as well.
Not only will we continue to add new manufacturing technology to further advance the quality, price and performance of our product, we are also working hard to reinvent even the most mundane aspects of manufacturing to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact. This includes a dramatic reduction of distance a project travels internally on the factory floor, policies to reduce employee travel and transit when possible, and in time we will even reduce the distance sourced raw materials will travel to our factories for production. We may also open new locations in parts of the world to add more supply chain efficiency and further reduce the carbon footprint of everything we do.
It’s right there in our name: Strategic Sports. We apply a detailed and intentional strategy to drive success and growth in everything we do, as we have for over 30 years. Our global factory strategy is just one aspect of what we’re doing in 2024 and beyond to better serve our partners, their customers and riders, and the planet. And there’s much more to do.