A NT$430,000 startup
When Lawrence Kuo, the 51-year-old CEO of Dirotech, received his MBA from the University of Wales in 1980, Taiwan's bike industry was just beginning to flourish. After working in a parts trading company for several years, he founded Di-ro-tech in 1991 with NT$430,000 in capital his mother had borrowed from her mutual lending association.
Dirotech established itself as a bicycle parts trading company. It also takes manufacturing and design orders from international brands. In its first year, it did NT$8 million in business, and in 2007, before starting the Birzman line, it did NT$380 million.
"But doing contract work is like being a plant with no roots," Kuo says. "Its flowers won't blossom for long." In order to eke out a space between international brands on the one hand and domestic contract manufacturers on the other, and to fulfill his original dream of creating a brand of his own-a goal he at first lacked the capital and experience to achieve-he began what he calls the "17-year warmup" to the marathon to come.
He recalls often hearing foreign cyc-lists complain that portable bike tools were either too heavy or too simple, wishing they had a complete lightweight but fully-functioning toolset. That's when he had his moment of realization and found an entry for creating his own brand.
"Birzman's designs all come from nature," Kuo explains. He gives the example of the mini toolset, which was inspired by feathers. It is made of a light yet strong aluminum alloy. Or, take the mini air pump, which was designed with reference to the shape of the Kandelia mangrove. Then there's the design of the handle to the "dragonfly chain tool," which was taken from the instant a dragonfly touches the water. The inspiration for its rotation comes from a children's toy dragonfly made of bamboo.
Their star product, the Zacoo 5o floor-standing air pump, is modeled after a tree trunk. The body is angled back five degrees whereas most on the market are straight and hard to pump air to a high pressure with. The unique angled design of the Zacoo 5o pump makes it both ergonomic and easier to pump.