January/February 2020

Variables
PE Puts the Wheels in Motion at Bicycle Manufacturer

IN MANNING, SOUTH CAROLINA, BCA USES HOLLAND MECHANICS’ ROBOT OT FOR AUTOMATED TRUING OF WHEELS.
CREDIT: BOB EDWARDS, P.E.

With the help of an NSPE member, a bicycle factory in rural South Carolina is helping American manufacturing buck a worldwide trend while also contributing to the local community.

Bob Edwards, P.E., is the general manager at Bicycle Corporation of America, which produces more than half of the approximately 500,000 bicycles made in the United States each year. Although the parts are made in China, which produces more than 95% of all bicycles sold in the US, the assembly plant is providing stable, well-paying jobs in a low-income area.

In 2017, Edwards joined BCA, located in Manning, South Carolina. His expertise as a PE, he says, has allowed him to thrive in his job and contribute to the company’s success.

“The continued education requirements of being a PE have allowed me to choose classes and meetings that would help improve this organization—from developing my supervisors and line leads, problem management, and lean practices,” Edwards says. “And with NSPE-SC, I toured a number of great factories to learn best practices. The training, education, contacts, and support that I have received from being a PE has greatly improved my ability to navigate positively in my position at this startup company.”

WHEEL BUILDING REQUIRES MANUAL WORK IN ADDITION TO AUTOMATED PROCESSES.
CREDIT: BOB EDWARDS, P.E.

BCA was established in 2014 as a venture of Kent International Inc., a bicycle importer and manufacturer based in Parsippany, N.J. As a participant in Walmart’s initiative to offer US-made products, Kent International established BCA to increase its import sales. To date, BCA has produced approximately one million bicycles, according to Kent chairman and CEO Arnold Kamler.

Now, BCA is expanding. In late 2018, the company announced that it’s planning to invest $5 million in a new production facility in Summerton, South Carolina. The plant is expected to create more than 60 new jobs.

Edwards calls his time at BCA successful, “but it means a great deal to this area. These are good, paying jobs that people need and the continued investment in the area only points to more growth in the future.”