Everyone was hoping that it wouldn't come to this.
Marzocchi, the Italian suspension brand that's been in business for nearly seventy years, has admitted that they'll be closing up shop. This means that their motorbike manufacturing, which takes place in Bologna, Italy, and the mountain bike production, which happens in Asia, will come to a halt at the end of 2015. That's obviously bad news for anyone who's a fan of the big 'M', not to mention the approximately one hundred and thirty eight employees that will likely find themselves looking for work. It also means that bike companies who were hoping to spec some Italian suspension on their 2017 model year bikes will have to choose from another brand's offerings.
Our source inside Marzocchi is still hopeful, though, and while they did confess that things look bleak, they're also still hopeful that a buyer or investor will come to the rescue before the ship sinks. It's do or die, you might say, as Marzocchi as we know it will cease to exist this coming January if a saviour isn't found, which is a different outlook than the still optimistic words that we saw from them last month.
That same source was insistent that all current 2016 products will be delivered to OE and aftermarket customers, and that Marzocchi will be at both the Eurobike and Interbike tradeshows with 2017 offerings.
Whether or not those 2017 products will ever be available is a whole other issue, as are the questions about existing warranties and what could have been done differently. We reached again out to Andrea Pierantoni, sales and marketing director for Tenneco Marzocchi, to answer those exact questions in order to try and get to the bottom of what Marzocchi's apparent demise means for customers and fans.
- Andrea, what do you think Marzocchi could have done differently over the last ten years for this to have not happen? Are there one or two specific things you could identify?
Andrea Pierantoni - Like any company, we can only influence what we can control. We had no control over the economic crisis of 2008 and 2009, and we had no control over the decision by our fork supplier to stop production in 2012. However, we very quickly recovered any ground lost by rapidly appointing a new fork assembly supplier in Taiwan who shares our commitment to improving manufacturing efficiency, flexibility and quality, with the goal of growing the business and keeping Marzocchi competitive and viable. We made a strong comeback in the 2013 model year with innovative Marzocchi technology that responded to evolving customer needs and market trends, and we haven’t stopped innovating since.
Tenneco has always recognized the importance of innovation and technological leadership as a means of maintaining Marzocchi as a recognized and sustainable global brand. To this end, Tenneco shares its world-class business processes in supply chain management, industrialization and distribution with our Taiwanese supplier. The company has invested in a new assembly line with Tenneco tooling and quality control procedures. In terms of innovation, Tenneco has invested in developing a complete line of MY2016 cross-country, enduro, dirt jump and downhill front and rear suspension, and is developing the dropper post, the 27.5PLUS line, and the full range of DH and Enduro shocks.
- The press release that ran on Pinkbike has over 120,000 reads and 470 comments after just one day, with very large majority of the comments praising Marzocchi or reminiscing about better times. How does it feel to see so much support and love for the brand, but for things to still end this way?
AP - Our customers’ passion is a real source of motivation for us and is what keeps driving the development of outstanding products like our e-suspension and the full range of cross-country shocks. What Tenneco announced yesterday was the intention to discontinue its Marzocchi motor bike fork suspension business and mountain bike business, and liquidate its Marzocchi operations. However, Tenneco continues to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi.
The support and love that is being expressed for the brand is more valuable than ever today as it may be able to help to influence a happy ending under a new owner. This is what I sincerely hope for Marzocchi, our customers, our supplier and the mountain bike team.
- Now that the news has broken, can you divulge when production of Marzocchi's mountain bike and motorbike products will officially cease?
AP - Tenneco intends to assist its motorbike customers with the transition of current production to an alternative supplier and expects to complete the closure of its plant in Bologna by the end of 2015, but continue to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi. I cannot comment or speculate on what the outcome of these talks might be and the subsequent impact on the mountain bike business.
- How does this news effect the warranty coverage of suspension products that are already out in customer's hands? And what about warranty parts - is there a large enough backstock of parts to keep people rolling for a while?
AP - As I said earlier, Tenneco continues to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi, so I cannot comment or speculate on what the outcome of these talks might be and the subsequent impact on the mountain bike business.
AP - We will continue with the development of the seat post which and it will be included in the MY2016 AM from January. We will also present it at both Eurobike and Interbike, and all of the Product Managers who are currently testing it are very pleased with its performance.
- Will teams like MS Mondraker, with Danny Hart, still receive support for the 2015 race season, or are they now on their own?
AP - We will continue to support all of our teams, including enduro, downhill and cross-country outfits. We will be at Cranckworx in Whistler with our North American team, and at the World Cup in Mont St Anne, Windham, and Val di Sole, as well as the World Championship's in Andorra with head mechanic, Pedro.
- What happens to the products that are sitting in the factory or in the warehouse right now?
AP - Wednesday’s announcement should not impact our service, quality or the delivery to our customers in the short term.
- Can you explain what will happen to the patents that Marzocchi/Tenneco holds?
AP - Tenneco continues to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi. These assets include our patents for our products, all of which have been designed and engineered in Italy by the same engineers working for our motorbike and mountain bike division. The 100% Italian label is an integral part of the value of the Marzocchi brand, as the Italian origin is synonymous with superior R&D, outstanding quality, design and attention to detail. This is one of the main reasons why people are so passionate about Marzocchi.
- RockShox and FOX are both connected to other cycling-related companies that complement their range while presumably adding strength to the brand. Has the same opportunity come up for Marzocchi at any point in the last decade? And if so, why did it not happen?
AP - Tenneco Marzocchi has always recognized the importance of innovation and technological leadership as a means of maintaining Marzocchi as a recognized and sustainable global brand. As I said earlier, we have invested in developing a complete line of MY2016 cross-country, enduro, dirt jump and downhill suspension, and are developing the dropper post, the 27.5PLUS line, and the full range of downhill and enduro shocks. We hope to be able to continue on MY2016 and MY2017 OE suspension.
- Was there ever a serious chance of another company purchasing either the mountain bike or motorbike side of Marzocchi's business? And if so, how close was it to it to going through?
AP - I am not aware of what may have happened in the past. All I can tell you is that Tenneco continues to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi. I cannot speculate on what the outcome of these talks might be.
- We've all seen companies close up shop, only to spring back to life down the road after an injection of funds. Hypothetically speaking (and hoping), if an investor was found a few months from now, is it something that could ever have Marzocchi coming back from the dead?
AP - This is what I sincerely hope for Marzocchi, our customers, our supplier and the mountain bike team.
@dchill has it right. Fox and Shimano are more or less a unit: two prestigious and powerful corporations that don't need to share a board of directors to integrate their products. Take XTR Di2, for example - it can be fully integrated with Fox's iCD electronic lockout so that the head unit shows the lockout position, the same battery powers both, and any shift buttons can be programmed to control lockout instead. Additionaly, even when (WHEN) Marzocchi is back on solid ground, they won't be in position to directly compete with RockShox - irrespective of the highly competitive quality of their product, they don't have the OEM clout to stand toe-to-toe with RS. Fox certainly does. If Shimano bought Marzocchi, they would alienate an established partner, to no discernible advantage and very real detriment.
But I wouldn't be particularly worried about Marzocchi's future, either - a brand with their history and cachet, and particularly the kind of passionate following Pinkbike illustrated on the first post two days ago, is too valuable not to be purchased and put to good use.
That a lockout! Imagine a fork optimized for di2 unit. Where you save preset adjustments of fork (taken from practice laps) rebound/compression/etc, you save it on the onboard computer and choose the adjustment during the race course getting optimum suspension handling during every segment and stage ON THE RUN!!
@Bluefire but that does not mean that Fox and Shimano are the same business and that Shimano cannot partner with Marzocchi. Yes, Fox and Shimano work together on certain projects but so does Fox and Specialized or Fox and Trek. Both Specialized and Trek work with Fox to create custom/proprietary suspension elements, but they also work with other suspension suppliers all the time. There is no business ownership or control of between Fox and Shimano. If Shimano wanted to purchase Marzocchi, they are more than free to do so.
It's not the same thing at all. Specialized and Trek are big bicycle companies that work in conjunction with the lowest bidder. That's how they make money.
Shimano is the biggest components manufacturer in the world, they make everything they sell in house. They own their own factories, mining facilities and even their own mines. If they wanted to own a suspension company they would. They don't need to.
Capitalistic opinions aside, it would be really good for the sport if shimano owned marzocchi. Who cares that they do business with fox. It's one thing for shimano to open their own suspension division, but to have the shimano name given to an already prestigious and fully established brand would just make the Marzocchi name sound better than ever before. Japanese engineering and production, italian soul.
@dchill while that is true, I was specifically mentioning that because Fox & Shimano partnered on some fancy Di2 mount the implication was made that Shimano could not own Marzocchi because of that. That does not follow. Fox and Specialized have partnered to make the Brain shock as a special partnership, not just a "hey let's make cheaper stuff", yet Specialized tried to make their own suspension at the same time. Both things can happen simultaneously. It's not necessarily a problem if Shimano wanted to buy Marzocchi and still keep the Di2 integration on certain Fox suspension.
Shimanno buying Marzocchi is a pipe dream. Suspension is not part of their brand equity, core expertise, and even more importantly company philosophy where they develop all their innovation in-house end to end, vs. acquisition. As good of a product as Marzocchi makes, they also represent a risk to that could dilute Shimannos brand image, and they are not going to take that risk. There is a reason that Marzocchi is going under, and it's not because the products aren't good. Building the image and equity of the brand back up, getting customers lined up, is no easy task, and not something that Shimanno wants to spend millions on.
Agreed - it is not the responsibility of Shimano to acquire a Suspension field. They had tried that as themselves and, this was 15 years ago and is in the past.
Is that why Fox bought Race Face & Easton? Or Sram purchasing Rock Shox, Avid, Truvativ, and Zipp? While I understand the "does this fit our brand image?" position, at least Marzocchi is cycling related and Shimano could "surround the consumer" more holistically with Marzocchi than without. Additionally, fishing is not exactly one of the things that comes to mind for most people on PB when thinking about Shimano, and yet they somehow do both cycling and fishing under the name Shimano without scaring people away from the brand. If Shimano bought Marzocchi, they would be in a similar position to Fox/Race Face/Easton and Sram/Truvativ. It's a plausible possibility and fitting with their competitors' actions.
Shimannos business model and philosophy is internal development. Their core expertise is forging and complex mechanical interfaces. There's a reason why SRAMs top of line gruppos are carbon, and it's not because of weight. They can't match Shimannos forging skill. All of Shimannos offerings are segment leading. I fish, and their reels are every bit as smooth and flawlessly executed as an XTR or Dura Ace shifter. Also, Fox and RS acquired brands that already had strong equity. Building Mars back up will take time, money, and will be risky. I wouldn't buy them if I were CEO of shimanno.
Hope should take em for a full MTB component. They already have gruppo parts, brakes, steering and control component, and also some hoops, all of them which is very nice and durable to date. Both have a reputation for being moto-inspired. Hopefully they would do this, Amen.
Funny =). My personal experience had been that if mgmt starts trekking is employees and customers that "we are in talks with several interested parties", they're not talking to anyone actually. Unless you name-drop, there's no accountability to that statement.
Marzocchi should design a bladder system like charger, roughcut.. then a 35/38mm range. Travel from 140-180mm. 20mm axle. They can pretty much fill the gap between Pike and 40s.
"I am not aware of what may have happened in the past. All I can tell you is that Tenneco continues to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi. I cannot speculate on what the outcome of these talks might be."
"I am not aware of what may have happened in the past. All I can tell you is that Tenneco continues to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi. I cannot speculate on what the outcome of these talks might be."
"I am not aware of what may have happened in the past. All I can tell you is that Tenneco continues to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi. I cannot speculate on what the outcome of these talks might be."
"I am not aware of what may have happened in the past. All I can tell you is that Tenneco continues to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi. I cannot speculate on what the outcome of these talks might be."
Just thought I'd say it a few more times in case anyone missed it. #Marzocchilives
Yeah, it's an unsatisfying answer, but we have to remember that this is a really high-pressure situation for Marzocchi. All the information we've heard from other sources had the disclaimer "not an official Marzocchi communication", or something like it. They might well be finalizing a purchase deal, but anything they say on-record about it could break that deal before it's complete. It's just generally bad business practice to discuss about buyouts before the papers are signed - for both sides. I don't blame Pierantoni. I'm sure we'll find out the identity of the buyer shortly, and in the meantime, it'll be business as usual for the next five months.
just like the first interview. bold to claim marzocchis problems on the economic crisis... all I know is that probably every (at least every single one I knew) 2008 MZ failed terribly. that's what went wrong.
I understand why he can not truly divulge much info about an uncertain future. If there are deals on the table - which i hope there are - he should not speak much on this. I did however notice a failure to own up to the quality control problems of the Tenneco manufacturing switch which I personally believe started the downward spiral of this company. It took them two years to sort and cost them a lot of loyal customers. Their recent product has been so great but a lot of damage done to reputation '08-09. Constant talk of uncertain future prevents many including myself from spending signifigant money on this product. They need someone to buy- and wipe the slate clean. Promise new beginnings and excellent suspension and then deliver. All or nothing. They need to leave this Tenneco baggage behind. Hope they succeed.
There were a few dark years for Marzocchi 2008-2012. 2013 on has been great old Marzocchi. The 2014 380 Ti was the best fork I have had since my 2001 Shiver. Had Fox 40, Fox 40 Float, several Boxxer teams, WC and an Avalanche converted team 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 None of them come close to the 380. I hope they get bought over. Look at RaceFace they were shut down and reborn bringing out the best cranks (carbon and alum) bars (carbon and alum) and stems
@jzPV - I have a 2008 Marzocchi 888 RC3 WC fork. Never had any problems and its done well with only 1 service in 7 years. (the service only included new oil. seals remain in perfect nick.)
Yeah, well, chalk this one up to another failed buyout by a group of greedy investor-class that have no idea what they're doing and run the brand into the ground.
What went wrong is that they stopped getting them made my SRSUNTOUR factory. The boys from Marzocchi left and started DVO and they are partnered with SRSUNTOUR. Still want that Marzocchi quality you miss, get DVO!
If that was the case Formula brakes should be the most popular brakes and they are not.
Marzocchi built a reputation in the moto and bike world because the made great products that lasted. Other companies didn't come close to the reliability of Marzocchi. Then they were spec'ed oem on bikes like the Big Hit and P-series, bikes everyone wanted. For those doing huge hucks and hucks to flat the Monster T was the only big fork in town.
It wasn't that they weren't made
In Italy anymore but tha fact their quality and quality control went out the window when RS was getting themselves going again. That left on open spot for RS and Fox to jump into.
Most people don't care where a product it built its the value and quality. Look at Santa Cruz they left USA production in 07 or 08 and they became even more popular
The iFork shuffle will be the budget model. Press the button and it will randomly set compression, rebound, and travel. Better still, there will be no indication of where these are currently set. If you don't like it, push the button again!
The Pinkbike community could buy them! How many active users are there on Pinkbike? If each user chipped in £50, would that not raise enough cash to help Marzocchi survive? It would be like a Kickstarter project. Or a co-op of some kind. Anybody got any ideas how this could work?
Ideas? Yeah, get a business degree. Do some work in multi million dollar aquisitions, then learn that a sinking ship with a floored business model is likely a poor investment.
Some large hurdles there, but on an individual level and if it didn't work, the most anyone would lose is their tiny investment. The chance of a big return far outweighs the small monetary risk - I'm speaking as someone with no idea what he's talking about, but it makes sense in my head:-)
To me, it sounds like they're done, and all the repeated responses are just dodging obvious imminent fall outs with supply, warranty and other commitments they won't be able to honor.
So a company that makes products that work better than most and is "bomb" proof is shutting its doors, but companies that do average at best performing product and need more attention than a Kardashian keep cranking.. LONG LIVE MARKETING BULLSH$T
I love how marketing is always the bad guy. SRAM and Shimano and Fox are "bad" because they have good marketing. Have you ever tried to sell anything without marketing? Why is Marzocchi not to blame for poor marketing?
And just to be clear: PEOPLE are slaves to marketing, not just bikers. That's the point of marketing. It works. It's supposed to convince you to buy a product. It's NECESSARY to sell a product. It doesn't kill anything - the sport is doing just fine. Anyone who sells anything relies on marketing, INCLUDING Marzocchi.
Of course marketing is the bad guy, just Look at Apple, Audi, FOX, Rock Shox, Kardashians, Jay Z, all of them are terrible in what they do, but they have a gimmick working for them. A friend of mine has a never opened 2003DJ3 that works like a Swiss watch. Marzocchi rules!
After reading some of the comment, I kind of got why Marzocchi sales are not as good and why something like this could happen. When you make a product that outlives the same from another manufacturer by three or four generations, you don't sell the needed quantity to stay afloat. Now, we are full of RS and overpriced FOX krap, but Marzo is so-so.... Yay?
Although Shimano buying them may be hoped for, it is an improbable future. Shimano isn't SRAM. They don't buy brands and operate them as if they are independent companies. If Shimano makes forks, they will be Shimano forks and will build the core Shimano brand. Thus, they would only be interested in Marz's patents. If all you care about is the tech, then you should be happy if this happens. If someone buys Marz's patents, that leaves the brand up for fire sale... and most likely to a Chinese company making WalMart bikes. It is far more likely to see a $99 Marz 'mountain bike' than it is to see Shimano using the Marz brand to make forks.
Times are tough and Tenneco is looking to write off a bunch of goodwill and asset value to shore up their stock prices I'm sure. Someone will certainly buy the tooling and patents and move development to a cheaper place, Perhaps Giant should buy them up and offer it as their OEM suspension parts? Could you imagine fantastic Marzocchi Quality as Giants in-house brand? you'd get 95% best suspension quality at 35% the price of SRAM and Fox, full 140mm Giant bikes with Marzocchi bits for 1500$, cmon Giant, DooOoOO it!
FSA unveiled a prototype drivetrain at TDF. & is making brakes now... SRAM's vertical integration has been huge for them, & revived RS from ignominy. Maybe FSA is looking to become a one stop shop on the MTB side as well as the road side, they already seem to do pretty well in the road OEM sector.
A brand with a similar heritage to Marz, like Kona or commencal. Brands with a similar Bomber, hardcore spirit could be a marketing force to combat the new school of enduro, lightweight, electronic new standards every 6 months trend in mtb of ONLY caring about newbies
Dont let the hardcore die
@WAKIdesigns FSA isn't very competitive in the high end market, I expect their range to top out at an XT competitor, tops. but when specing OEM, that halo groupo is far less important.
The simple reality is that the demand for marzocchi was/ is not enough to sustain the brand. There seems to be a lot of fans of the brand on here, I wonder how many actually use the forks over fox/rs and others. Plenty of comments from riders saying they're still using a fork that's x years old and running like a dream, but unfortunately that doesn't keep a brand going.
Sales = $$ = marketing budget= more sales. Repeat...
No sales = no $$= no marketing = no $$ = brand going pop...
I had a pike and boxxer and changed to a 350NCR and 380 C2R2 ti. The 350 is very similar to the pike to ride but with better small bump sensitivity, the 380 on the other hand is worlds apart from the boxxer, the whole fork performs better, so glad I change back to marzocchi just hope they continue for the future.
How's about this for a plummy idea. Why not " pinkbike" purchase Marzocchii ..... As in all the supporters on this forum could form a kind of crowd funding financial support thing, Wakidesigns could be the CEO. Protour could be the sister company avoidance advisor (specialized in particular, lol) or just the teaboy if you prefer.
If we are so passionate about this company and we had the right people involved then it's not that daft an idea..........
@herzalot I did my part by buying a 380 ti for my new ride. Last thing I wanted was a boxxer or 40 with crappy maintenance intervals. I may step up and buy a 350 to replace my lyrik.
Marzocchi's parent, Tenneco, to shut down suspension business Published July 22, 2015 by BRAIN Staff
UPDATED LAKE FOREST, Ill. (BRAIN) – Tenneco plans to discontinue its Marzocchi motor bike fork suspension and its mountain bike business, and will liquidate its Marzocchi operations, the company announced in a press release issued Wednesday. Confused
But representatives from the U.S. office in Long Beach, Calif., told BRAIN that mountain bike suspension production is continuing and that the sale of the mountain bike part of the business is currently underway. Details on the potential buyer or negotiations couldn't be disclosed. Pimp The liquidation, which Tenneco said is subject to consultation with employee representatives, would eliminate 138 jobs. Tenneco, a publicly traded automotive industy supplier, employs 127 people at the Marzocchi plant in Bologna, Italy, and an additional 11 people in its operations in North America and Taiwan. The company intends to assist its motor bike customers with the transition of current production to an alternative supplier and expects to complete the closure by the end of 2015.
"We sincerely regret the impact these actions would have on our Tenneco Marzocchi employees, and thank them for their tireless efforts to improve performance and reduce costs. Unfortunately, it was not enough to overcome continuing market challenges in the two-wheeler business," said Brian Kesseler, chief operating officer, Tenneco. “We are committed to working with our employees’ representatives, and with our customers to make the transition as smooth as possible.”
Tenneco expects to record charges of approximately $27 million related to the liquidation in the third quarter, which includes approximately $17 million of cash expenditures, for severance and other employee-related costs, asset impairment charges and other expenses related to the closure. The company anticipates improving financial results by $7 million annually, beginning in 2016.
Tenneco is an $8.4 billion global manufacturing company with headquarters in Lake Forest, Ill., and approximately 29,000 employees worldwide. It's one of the largest designers, manufacturers and marketers of clean air and ride performance products and systems for automotive, commercial truck, and off-highway original equipment markets, and the aftermarket. Its principal brand names are Monroe, Walker, XNOx and Clevite Elastomer.
In 2008, Tenneco bought Gruppo Marzocchi, based near Bologna, Italy, and founded in 1949. Tenneco paid about $15 million for the company by assuming its outstanding debts.
I can't see the mountain bike business dying. They have won a lot more oe spec this year and next. Just like dvo, marzocchi mtb is a design team. They don't manufacture anything. Manufacturing takes place at a third party supplier in Taiwan. The 138 jobs probably include 133 in motorcycle fork production. The five mtb guys just need to borrow a load of cash (or perhaps a little, who knows?) to purchase the intellectual property rights and take a leap of faith going it alone. Maybe we will lose the marzocchi name, but they could go for something similar like marzocchio or cappuccino... those are just off the top of my head. VDO? Roxfox? Bomber?
If I won the lottery I would buy in a second. and shimano should not buy them as they would be copying the other "S" guys and may get sued again for trying to run things like "S" has
I believe Hodaka makes the forks now after Marzocchi had problems with suntour. They used to be made in Italy and were exceptional quality forks. My old Z-2 forks are 100% made of metal and beautifully machined. They work great to this day. My Fox 34s on the other hand, are terrible forks. I don't race so I would take a heavier fork that performs better and requires less maintenance, too bad most people don't see things that way.
I wonder if a company like Scott might pick them up, they already have some in-house rear suspension and they bought Syncros, so they could be looking to vertically integrate.
Thats exactly what happened and the quality went to shit, notice how suntour havent really done much since marzo moved elsewhere. Marzos failure is all down to the reliability issues from production being done by suntour or whoever the 3rd party manufacturer is.
So does that mean I can buy perfectly good Marzocchi forks for super cheap now? And a few spare seal kits for when they need servicing? Cause that sounds like a good plan to me.
Marrizochi is the best suspension design on the market and the quality of there product isn't the problem it's the fact that that the bicycle industry has to many snobs saying what's best I e ridden marrizochi fork for 15 years and they never let me down in most cases my friends rock shox and fox forks are in the shop all the Tim's while I'm out riding so whaT does that tell you
if their is a brand that can say that they are the meaning of mountain biking it is marzocchi for so many reasons, if their is somebody out there who can save this company please do us all a favour, do it, before this precious peice of cycling and motorsports history be killed.
Someone like Hope are constantly expanding there business ideas so it could potentially be a bargain buy for them, i strongly believe that whoever takes over should go back to the DJ,55,66,888 forks and improve on them each year.
"... as the Italian origin is synonymous with superior R&D, outstanding quality, design and attention to detail". As a kid, I noticed that the fork brace on my Bombers was held on by the thread rather than on a bracket which was held in by bolts. I was appalled. I'm not sure I believe them on "outstanding design".
I really hope this is all a marketing ploy to gain popularity for Marzocchi like they did with Twinkies...
My first ever MTB fork was a Marzocchi, still have it and it works great for what it is.
That was not a ploy with Twinkies and Hostess. That was a calculated game plan to shortchange its workers and line the pockets of a few vulture capitalists. F*** Hostess.
Further more most company are soecing marizochi product on there bikes because it costs them more whitch drives the cost of bikes up and people already complain about the prices rising so it no wonder that the company struggles to compete with everyone else
So a (primarily) motorcycle suspension company in Bologne needs a new owner... Ducati anyone? They could still work wth Ohlins for their high end bikes and spec their own Marz forks for base models... Just saying. Could save the MTB part at the same time.
Ducati work very closely with ohlins and Showa. They don't make 'budget' anything so there is no point having marzocchi for 'base' models.
Ohlins are about as far advanced as it's possible to get with suspension, I doubt very much they'd have any desire to buy out what they'd consider to be an inferior brand.
And as bigbear said, Ducati are now owned by VAG, no interest in mtb there....
It would be great if Suntour bought Marzocchi. They need a different brand for their high end suspension and some better technology. They certainly have the financial security to do it.
Marzocchi and SunTour were built in the same plant for a while and shared technology (and parts). Marzocchi spit off to another manufacturer and their stuff started getting good again. Meanwhile, SR Suntour's stuff started getting legit too. Probably not a bad idea for the two to join up again.
Marzocchi was obviously condemned to die: disappointing last products, lack of innovative products, lack of technical support, etc....., what I call a "lazy brand". Very disappointed by this brand that I used to love so much.
Now that they announced trouble and their company's value has dropped a little, I'm sure there will be buyers lining up for this steel of a deal. I doubt it's over for Marzocchi!
We are all responsible for this. We like sheep follow the trends and buy in that marking junk that is forcefully fed to us on a daily basis, look at all you pikeys sipping on that rock sh*t cool-aid like herd of cattle. We have to stand up and support the little guys, say no to trek, giant, specialized and especially Fox and Rock Sux. Go out and purchase an espresso coated goddess of a fork and show your skills that these caffeinated suspension forks can do to your pikey friends!
Rock Sux? Assuming you're kidding...? Every Rock Shox fork i have ever owned has been flawless, not to mention they always release upgrade dampers so you don't even have to buy their shiny new stuff.
I love current RS stuff, but you obviously haven't been riding for too long if you've never had a bad RS... they pretty much didn't make a decent product from about '98 to maybe '06 or later. If they hadn't been bought by SRAM, who then put a great deal of cash into them, this situation would have been them about 10 years ago.
all brands have had high's and low's as far as QC, speed of warranty, issues right outta the box or working perfectly since day one. I have horror stories and great stories for all the major brands.
How could users be responsible for this? Marzocci had almost no marketing, they could've had the best product in the market (which I highly doubt) but with no marketing they were destined to sell very little. What were we supposed to do, dig out on the internet what companies have good products and are destined to die so we would buy their product in order to save them? Their other failure is referrals, when a company has very low marketing but their product and customer service is good, these companies survive through referrals, specially if a company is 70 years old like Marzocci, but if they are going broke it is clearly that they failed at influencing their customers to pass on referrals.
Eh, RS stuck with awful MoCo for years. They got popular because they were light, cheap, and reliable, but everyone else had better actual suspension performance IMO. Now they finally have a decent damper with the Charger.
MoCo may not compare with modern suspension, but don't sell it short: it's as good or better than any setup pre-RC2, & after that, only high end stuff would beat it. I'll take Moco over even pre-ctd fox that wouldn't stop diving without excessive air in the spring.
Modern high end suspension is great, but even low end modern stuff blows most old forks out of the water, even top of the line stuff.
Narro2 makes a great point. Marzocchi's marketing all but disappeared during their dark days and never returned. Props to them for spending money to get top-level racing exposure, but we also need to see their products in magazines and on the various websites. I've been talking up my Marzocchi since 2011, but only convinced one person to buy one, and he ditched it for a Fox, once his needed service. (Frankly, he doesn't exactly challenge his suspension anyway). Evidently Marzocchi didn't sell well enough to have any local retailers carrying their products. Pity, because not only are their forks outstanding, but their customer service has been incredible as well.
@groghunter Can confirm... Had a '98 Judy C on my Trek 830 when I was younger. On a drop off the entire shitty spring/elastomer/damper cartridge popped out at full speed and smacked me dead in the forehead. Still have a little scar.
On the other hand... I had a 2001 Marzocchi Z1 X-Fly shortly afterwards that I had on a Norco Rampage Team 853, and rode that for several years until upgrading to a full suspension. The X-Fly is still one of my favorite forks, oil bath, superlight and absolutely plush as a big ass. There was no reason to look at new technology until the full suspension era rounded out. The next bike I built was a Be One Nirvana 1.0 that had 2008 Rock Shox Revalation 426 U-Turn and I have to admit they were flawless, frame... not so much.
All in all, Rock Shox is now on top of their game, as is Fox. Marzocchi unfortunately did take some blows in their 2008-2012 years. There are up's and down's in the production world unfortunately. Similar to what happened to Race Face a couple years ago now, I remember going through the same motions. Companies that build products that retain a reputation such as Race Face or Marzocchi will not die as there will be another buyer to capitalize on that market potential. I do hope there is a saving grace for good ole' Marzocchi as I will always remember that ass...err I mean fork... yes fork.
Marzocchi can't be TOTALLY out of business... i mean sure the mountain bike devision may be, But they make forks for motornikes.. from crosser forks to powerbike forks, You can't expect me to believe they have fully went out of business when they probably have teams sponsered by them for suspension, i know the same can be said for the mountain bike industry.. but i can only assume mountain bike suspension was secondary compared to the motorcycle industry more like a side business but a very successful and committed side business, hell i still have a marzocchi shiver dc which is 13? 14 year old? and is still holding u today. so i don't doubt their commitment to the mtb side of things, i'm just saying the moto side was probably more valuable and successful than the mtb side. unless marzocchi moto and mtb are out of business? (which to me doesn't make any sense)
just posting my take on the whole marzocchi going out of business thing, not sure what part of this says "i didn't read the article" all i did was post my thoughts on the matter, no need to be a dick about it.....
No man - marketing! You need to gloss it up a bit, make it sound like you've got 700 deals "about to close". And trust me when I say that I'm qualified to give this advice, because I manage zero companies.
not everyone wants air. i traded my Wc boxxer for a 40 hat was coil sprung (2013). if and its a big if you snap a spring you can still ride to the bottom. you toast an air spring and good luck bud.
Their marketing has been anything but clever over the past four years. Basically non-existent. If this is intentional marketing, it could explain why they are going out of business. Think anybody's going to buy a Marzocchi right now? OK, I just did, but anyone else?
Marcoki won't die - don't worry. They'll come back in two years time max. For us, bikers, Marcoki is romantic memory but for the business world is just money to make. You have to remeber that they have hell lot of a heritage and history behind them. Of course, being Italian, ther was a lot of stupid over design and un needed complication over the years, but you cannot deny they soul and passion. They're just like Alfa Romeo - great cars which started working properly when the Germans bought them
I never was a Marcoki fan but I'll admit that I want them back. Keep your fingers crossed for M suspension products.
My 'gold race coated' 350 CRs are scratched to shit, but Marzocchi (Windwave) won't do anything as 'if they aren't leaking then it's not a warranty issue'. Also, they came from he factory with ZERO oil, but by dropping the lowers and filling myself I have voided the warranty (no problem there then). They have a slight click too, and are leaking from the rebound knob. Great forks.
I get all the nostalgic #marzocchlives stuff, but to be honest, I couldn't give a shit. My next forks will be X Fusion
But I wouldn't be particularly worried about Marzocchi's future, either - a brand with their history and cachet, and particularly the kind of passionate following Pinkbike illustrated on the first post two days ago, is too valuable not to be purchased and put to good use.
Where you save preset adjustments of fork (taken from practice laps) rebound/compression/etc, you save it on the onboard computer and choose the adjustment during the race course getting optimum suspension handling during every segment and stage ON THE RUN!!
"I am not aware of what may have happened in the past. All I can tell you is that Tenneco continues to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi. I cannot speculate on what the outcome of these talks might be."
"I am not aware of what may have happened in the past. All I can tell you is that Tenneco continues to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi. I cannot speculate on what the outcome of these talks might be."
"I am not aware of what may have happened in the past. All I can tell you is that Tenneco continues to talk with third parties who are showing interest in some of the assets of Marzocchi. I cannot speculate on what the outcome of these talks might be."
Just thought I'd say it a few more times in case anyone missed it. #Marzocchilives
bold to claim marzocchis problems on the economic crisis... all I know is that probably every (at least every single one I knew) 2008 MZ failed terribly. that's what went wrong.
2013 on has been great old Marzocchi.
The 2014 380 Ti was the best fork I have had since my 2001 Shiver.
Had Fox 40, Fox 40 Float, several Boxxer teams, WC and an Avalanche converted team 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
None of them come close to the 380.
I hope they get bought over. Look at RaceFace they were shut down and reborn bringing out the best cranks (carbon and alum) bars (carbon and alum) and stems
DVO Diamond $999
Marzocchi 350 NCR $949
*This is my own opinion*, but even the article suggests it.
LONG LIVE MARKETING BULLSH$T
And just to be clear: PEOPLE are slaves to marketing, not just bikers. That's the point of marketing. It works. It's supposed to convince you to buy a product. It's NECESSARY to sell a product. It doesn't kill anything - the sport is doing just fine. Anyone who sells anything relies on marketing, INCLUDING Marzocchi.
The simple reality is that the demand for marzocchi was/ is not enough to sustain the brand. There seems to be a lot of fans of the brand on here, I wonder how many actually use the forks over fox/rs and others. Plenty of comments from riders saying they're still using a fork that's x years old and running like a dream, but unfortunately that doesn't keep a brand going.
Sales = $$ = marketing budget= more sales. Repeat...
No sales = no $$= no marketing = no $$ = brand going pop...
If we are so passionate about this company and we had the right people involved then it's not that daft an idea..........
Marzocchi's parent, Tenneco, to shut down suspension business
Published July 22, 2015
by BRAIN Staff
UPDATED
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (BRAIN) – Tenneco plans to discontinue its Marzocchi motor bike fork suspension and its mountain bike business, and will liquidate its Marzocchi operations, the company announced in a press release issued Wednesday. Confused
But representatives from the U.S. office in Long Beach, Calif., told BRAIN that mountain bike suspension production is continuing and that the sale of the mountain bike part of the business is currently underway. Details on the potential buyer or negotiations couldn't be disclosed. Pimp
The liquidation, which Tenneco said is subject to consultation with employee representatives, would eliminate 138 jobs. Tenneco, a publicly traded automotive industy supplier, employs 127 people at the Marzocchi plant in Bologna, Italy, and an additional 11 people in its operations in North America and Taiwan. The company intends to assist its motor bike customers with the transition of current production to an alternative supplier and expects to complete the closure by the end of 2015.
"We sincerely regret the impact these actions would have on our Tenneco Marzocchi employees, and thank them for their tireless efforts to improve performance and reduce costs. Unfortunately, it was not enough to overcome continuing market challenges in the two-wheeler business," said Brian Kesseler, chief operating officer, Tenneco. “We are committed to working with our employees’ representatives, and with our customers to make the transition as smooth as possible.”
Tenneco expects to record charges of approximately $27 million related to the liquidation in the third quarter, which includes approximately $17 million of cash expenditures, for severance and other employee-related costs, asset impairment charges and other expenses related to the closure. The company anticipates improving financial results by $7 million annually, beginning in 2016.
Tenneco is an $8.4 billion global manufacturing company with headquarters in Lake Forest, Ill., and approximately 29,000 employees worldwide. It's one of the largest designers, manufacturers and marketers of clean air and ride performance products and systems for automotive, commercial truck, and off-highway original equipment markets, and the aftermarket. Its principal brand names are Monroe, Walker, XNOx and Clevite Elastomer.
In 2008, Tenneco bought Gruppo Marzocchi, based near Bologna, Italy, and founded in 1949. Tenneco paid about $15 million for the company by assuming its outstanding debts.
Stay tuned for more on this story.
Can I get a "Hallelujah Stifmeister!"
Maybe I'm wrong but I feel that its the way to go
#marzocchilives
I wonder if a company like Scott might pick them up, they already have some in-house rear suspension and they bought Syncros, so they could be looking to vertically integrate.
Marzocchi are too good to die!
go ahead...
Assuming you're kidding...? Every Rock Shox fork i have ever owned has been flawless, not to mention they always release upgrade dampers so you don't even have to buy their shiny new stuff.
Big fan of Rock Shox and always will be.
Their other failure is referrals, when a company has very low marketing but their product and customer service is good, these companies survive through referrals, specially if a company is 70 years old like Marzocci, but if they are going broke it is clearly that they failed at influencing their customers to pass on referrals.
Modern high end suspension is great, but even low end modern stuff blows most old forks out of the water, even top of the line stuff.
On the other hand... I had a 2001 Marzocchi Z1 X-Fly shortly afterwards that I had on a Norco Rampage Team 853, and rode that for several years until upgrading to a full suspension. The X-Fly is still one of my favorite forks, oil bath, superlight and absolutely plush as a big ass. There was no reason to look at new technology until the full suspension era rounded out. The next bike I built was a Be One Nirvana 1.0 that had 2008 Rock Shox Revalation 426 U-Turn and I have to admit they were flawless, frame... not so much.
All in all, Rock Shox is now on top of their game, as is Fox. Marzocchi unfortunately did take some blows in their 2008-2012 years. There are up's and down's in the production world unfortunately. Similar to what happened to Race Face a couple years ago now, I remember going through the same motions. Companies that build products that retain a reputation such as Race Face or Marzocchi will not die as there will be another buyer to capitalize on that market potential. I do hope there is a saving grace for good ole' Marzocchi as I will always remember that ass...err I mean fork... yes fork.
I never was a Marcoki fan but I'll admit that I want them back. Keep your fingers crossed for M suspension products.
I get all the nostalgic #marzocchlives stuff, but to be honest, I couldn't give a shit. My next forks will be X Fusion