Nobody is bigger than Giant

When people talk about Giant, they usually save a little breath to mention that the company is the world’s largest producer of bikes — and that virtually any stock steel or aluminum frame, no matter what the brand, is likely produced by the Taiwan-based company.

But so how big is big?

Last week, Giant announced that it’s opening a new $12 million factory in mainland China that could double their production. The new factory will be capable of producing 3 million bikes per year. By the end of 2008, they’ll be shipping 6 million bikes against more than $1 billion in sales.

Of course, it would help if the WTO agrees to Asian manufacturers’ request to eliminate all tariffs on bikes — not something European bike manufacturers are especially excited about.