WILRIJK, Belgium (BRAIN) — Sapim has moved its headquarters into a new 65,000-square-foot factory, about 40 percent larger than its previous building, which is in the same neighborhood. The company also is introducing a new carbon spoke at Interbike that it claims is the lightest and stiffest spoke on the market.
The company said the new factory will help Sapim improve production of its spokes and nipples, especially in the warehouse and the loading areas. "The workers of Sapim will also benefit greatly from this move because of the improved comfort due to the use of the latest technologies in terms of insulation and lighting. The new headquarters of Sapim will also host a fitness center for the use of its workers and associates," the company said.
Sapim's new carbon spoke is 25 percent lighter than the lightest steel spoke, the company said. It has very little elasticity, adding stiffness to the wheel. It has a laminated steel inlay that allows use of standard nipples and rims, but the spoke head requires a special hub.
Sapim also has released a new spoke calculator mobile app that is currently available on Android and will soon be available for iOS devices. The mobile app uses the same technology as Sapim's popular web-based app, available at sapim.be/spoke-calculator.
