TAICHUNG, Taiwan (BRAIN)—Fratelli Industries is a new, state of the art, 1,000 square meter facility specializing in the exclusive production of high-end rims and spokes for the industry, located in the Chang Hua area, outside of Taichung, Taiwan.
“Fratelli was founded based on a desire to employ the leading material technology with innovative machinery and processing to build the best rims and spokes available,” said Josh Deetz, co-founder of Fratelli. “Fratelli will redefine the standards by which rims and spokes are measured in all aspects of performance.”
Fratelli Industries employs proprietary extrusion, cutting and hooping tooling and techniques, and works with new era alloys. By combining a unique level of attention to material spec and consistency with newly developed micro grain refinement mechanical production processes, Fratelli offers its partners a rare ability to achieve optimized weights, improved consistency, and increased rigidity, according to a press release. With built in abilities to perform extensive material analysis, FEA simulation, in-house tooling and sample assessment, and laboratory and real world testing, Fratelli also provides the valuable service of design optimization to its partners and customers, helping them to achieve lighter weights and lower Traction-Stiffness-Weight Coefficients (TSWC).
Partners Gavin Vos and Deetz, who together share decades of wheel manufacturing expertise, are also tapping some of Taiwan’s leading material and process experts in this field. Rim production started in the final quarter of 2009, and the spoke program begins in 2010, in collaboration with Wheelsmith founder and wheel guru Eric Hjertberg.
Fratelli has in a very short time taken their first partner, Spank Industries, and their wheel development program, to new levels.
After years of manufacturing high-end rims and wheels in Taiwan, Spank Industries co-founder Vos recognized a serious shortage of boutique producers capable of servicing the special needs of high-end customers. Due to the success of Spank Industries’ Oohbah patented rim designs, and a desire to push the limits in the development of new material and process technologies, Spank invested heavily into this exclusive in-house rim development and production facility.
“Fratelli Industries has afforded Spank the opportunity to partner in a manufacturing facility with a deep wealth of processing and materials knowledge,” Vos said. “The result is an exclusive and technically advanced line of products. The primary focus of Fratelli is adding value through design, advanced process capabilities, and the application of exotic materials. Spank is now better able than ever before to provide its riders with performance enhancing components at competitive prices.”
Fratelli Fabrications opened its doors to OEM customers in early 2010. They can be contacted for serious inquiries at sales@fratelli.tw.
