Contacting Shimano R&D Dept (& Giant)

[ianfra]

Very difficult, nigh on impossible, to contact Shimano's R&D Dept in Japan. Has anyone got a contact? Email to their head office ..... anything????
Just to be greedy I'm also trying to break into Giant & Trek. These companies do not answer letters, have no contact email. Like trying to get into Fort Knox (easier?)
Ta for any help

 

[DirtyWorks]

Very difficult, nigh on impossible, to contact Shimano's R&D Dept in Japan. Has anyone got a contact? Email to their head office ..... anything????
Just to be greedy I'm also trying to break into Giant & Trek. These companies do not answer letters, have no contact email. Like trying to get into Fort Knox (easier?)
Ta for any help

Unless your idea already has market traction, don't bother. The best possible outcome of trying to sell an idea through a multi-national like Shimano and Giant is your idea is 'borrowed' with dreams of licensing revenue crushed.

If you want to try anyway, just talk to Giant. Best case scenario is your idea is copied and it shows up in a Trek or Specialized anyway.

Check out the DW Link story. That's what happens to good ideas in the bike business. They get borrowed and then you litigate.

If your idea is so good, buy a jig and welder and do it yourself.

 

[Benotti69]

Unless your idea already has market traction, don't bother. The best possible outcome of trying to sell an idea through a multi-national like Shimano and Giant is your idea is 'borrowed' with dreams of licensing revenue crushed.

If you want to try anyway, just talk to Giant. Best case scenario is your idea is copied and it shows up in a Trek or Specialized anyway.

Check out the DW Link story. That's what happens to good ideas in the bike business. They get borrowed and then you litigate.

If your idea is so good, buy a jig and welder and do it yourself.

and document it every step of the process along the way. make copies of what you do onto DVDs, print out, etc and send them to yourself by recorded post and keep them unopened and safe

 

[ianfra]

Unless your idea already has market traction, don't bother. The best possible outcome of trying to sell an idea through a multi-national like Shimano and Giant is your idea is 'borrowed' with dreams of licensing revenue crushed.

If you want to try anyway, just talk to Giant. Best case scenario is your idea is copied and it shows up in a Trek or Specialized anyway.

Check out the DW Link story. That's what happens to good ideas in the bike business. They get borrowed and then you litigate.

If your idea is so good, buy a jig and welder and do it yourself.

Thanks, I know.
I am part of a partnership (http://www.formiidesign.com) that works on designs for all kinds of industries. But as a lifelong cyclist (currently 20km per year and a few races!). Our ideas are either patented or protected in other ways. We also ensure that people sign a non-disclosure agreement. All companies are difficult to break into and the cost of self-engineering is very high. What we can do is to use our 3-d printer to make working models of most of our inventions. We also work with other people on an absolutely honest and confidential basis. So if you know anyone who wants a bit of help ...... (sorry mods, not advertising, genuinely trying to find an in into some of these larger companies). A recent example is a young Thai college designer who wants some help with hubs and rims as he has some ideas ... we've helped him for free and would never steal or utilise his ideas.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Thanks, I know.
I am part of a partnership (http://www.formiidesign.com) that works on designs for all kinds of industries. But as a lifelong cyclist (currently 20km per year and a few races!). Our ideas are either patented or protected in other ways. We also ensure that people sign a non-disclosure agreement. All companies are difficult to break into and the cost of self-engineering is very high. What we can do is to use our 3-d printer to make working models of most of our inventions. We also work with other people on an absolutely honest and confidential basis. So if you know anyone who wants a bit of help ...... (sorry mods, not advertising, genuinely trying to find an in into some of these larger companies). A recent example is a young Thai college designer who wants some help with hubs and rims as he has some ideas ... we've helped him for free and would never steal or utilise his ideas.

I never saw an NDA that couldn't be broken.

It would be a mistake to pursue cycling industry for customers. For the very few companies that make original bicycle stuff. Prototyping is the only thing left besides sales, marketing and legal in their business. The rest (most cycling dollars) buy finished product developed in China and put their label on it.

 

[ianfra]

Interesting. I spoke with a bike design luminary today who tells me to forget the bike industry. They are not interested in genuine innovation. But offer them some good graphics and they'll bite yer hand off!

 

[deboat]

Most manufactures do not want any contact with the retail public. This would be very time cosuming and costly for them. Then the carbon frames would be even more expensive!!! If you have something that a large manufacture want or need then they will come looking for you.