New Shimano Service Programme to cover 3rd party e-bike batteries

From March 2021 SHIMANO SERVICE CENTERS and other specialist SHIMANO dealers will be able to enjoy the SHIMANO service quality when dealing with selected Darfon and Trend Power batteries used on e-bikes with SHIMANO STEPS drive units.

SHIMANO’s total system engineering approach means that the SHIMANO STEPS ecosystem not only offers perfect harmony with SHIMANO components but also the products of connected battery partner brands Darfon and Trend Power.

Previously dealers requiring support with such 3rd party batteries had to reach out to the bike manufacturer or the battery manufacturer. But now SHIMANO is optimizing this handling process.

Starting in March 2021 dealers across Europe will now be able to get specific Darfon or Trend Power batteries serviced through the trusted SHIMANO network.

Jeroen van Vulpen, SHIMANO e-bike sports marketing manager: "We see clear benefits for both dealers and bike brands in this approach. Bike brands can count on Shimano’s first class service support network in the bicycle industry. We will be handling the service cases for selected 3rd party batteries based on our structured and well-established practices and following all our rigorous policies, practices and standards to reduce the burden for the bike brands."

"Dealers meanwhile can also expect Shimano’s handling quality standards. Dealers won’t have to handle SHIMANO STEPS system and battery claims respectively any more. They can unify their service contacts, giving them a faster turnaround time and removing handling complexities."

"Therefore we’re proud to launch this initiative which improves the service quality from both a technical and financial perspective for dealers and bike brands alike."

All compatible batteries will share a common identification to make it easy for dealers to spot which batteries can be serviced via this new simplified approach. The batteries will now feature a special ‘SHIMANO STEPS SERVICE’ sticker. Participating stores will also be able to see the battery model number in Shimano’s E-TUBE PROJECT to check it can be supported.

Each Shimano Sales Office or Distributor in Europe will have service contracts in place with Darfon or Trend Power and will be able to arrange new batteries and other spare parts like chargers, connectors and cables direct to dealers.

The expected role out will take place in March 2021 and will cover dealers in the following European countries: Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Italy, Malta, Spain, Andorra, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Turkey.

Dealers in each country will be offered information and training on how to handle these batteries.

Further countries in Europe will join this programme in the coming months.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1.       Embargo: For immediate release.

2.       Images: Available on Dropbox here.

3.       About Darfon: http://www.darfon.com/en/   

4.       About Trend Power: https://www.simplo.com.tw/index.php?lang=en