A version of this article is in the March issue of BRAIN.
AMES, Iowa (BRAIN) — As the German distributor Messingschlager pulls back from the U.S. market, industry veteran Nyle Nims has relaunched his 3PL business in Iowa, now called Cycle Source Logistics. CSL provides third-party logistics services to clients in and outside of the bike industry.
Messingschlager acquired Cycle Force Group and North America Cycles, which Nims had founded, two years ago from bankruptcy. After the acquisition the distributor formed Messingschlager USA, which distributed Messingschlager's house P&A brands. The company, led by CEO Pat Cunnane, also obtained U.S. rights to the HEAD brand for bikes and reached an agreement to distribute KTM bikes in North America.
Early this month Messingschlager announced that HLC would take over the distribution of its house brands, M-Wave and Ventura; Cunnane said announcements will be coming regarding the future of other brands that Messingschlager USA distributed, including the KTM and Head bike brands.
Meanwhile Nims will operate CSL out of a one million-cubic-foot Iowa warehouse, personally owned by Nims, that had been leased by Messingschlager. Cycle Source Logistics is continuing to work with several off-shore bike brands, and Nims said he’s actively looking for new business opportunities, in and out of the bike industry.
“We work with several bike and e-bike-related brands now, but we are adding other products. It doesn’t matter what kind of business, it’s box-in, box-out,” he said.
On the bike front, the business can do assembly from frame to 85% assembly level, for shipment to dealers, or frame to 99% assembly for consumer shipment. “We even do assembly from 85% to 99%, where we take a bike that was assembled for a dealer and fully assemble and re-box it for shipment to a consumer,” Nims said.
The new business has invested in a sophisticated 3PL software system that includes portals to allow clients to track their products’ shipments, he said. The centrally located warehouse allows three-day ground shipments to either coast.
Longtime North America Cycles executive Sue Cunningham remains with the new business, and Nims' daughter, Elizabeth Brink is general manager. Nims' son Matt Nims has joined J&B as a product manager and son Chris Nims has joined HLC as a sales manager.
