LS2’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY

from British Dealer News Sept 2022

INTERNATIONAL SHARE PRICES

YEARS CELEBRATED

WITH EXPANSION

BDN was invited to LS2’s 15th anniversary celebrations to visit the new European operations centre, see the new products on offer from the firm for 2022/23, and hear the plans for the future from the UK, European and global management teams. Alan Dowds reports

It’s a quadruple celebration for LS2 Helmets in 2022. First, this year sees the 15th anniversary of the Chinese brand, which was originally set up in 2007. The firm has also opened an enormous new European headquarters and logistics centre in Barcelona. It’s expanding massively into clothing and apparel as well as helmets, with a new textiles factory in China. And it is, of course, the first time that it’s been able to hold one of its huge global meetings for the whole LS2 team, from China and other parts of the Far East and Asia, to the United States, South America and Europe, since the pandemic started in 2019.

The first priority of the event was to visit the new premises, based just outside Barcelona in Terrassa, a busy suburb to the north. The firm is expanding, and the new warehouse can now hold an amazing 180,000 helmets, and 50,000 jackets, in a modern 16,000m2 logistics setup. The high-end office and showroom space take up another 3000m2 over three floors, and there are two shifts of warehouse workers, servicing the firm’s direct B2B delivery customers – more than 7000 stores across Europe – as well as supporting the five main European distributors in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and (of course) Spain. The numbers are impressive here too: LS2 is sold in 115 countries, with 96 distributors in total. And there were 50 of them attending the event, with a total of more than 200 staff at the Diagonal Mar Hilton hotel in Barcelona.

Based at the Santa Margarida II industrial estate, the new premises are impressive, decked out in the firm’s trademark bright red paint scheme, with the LS2 logo picked out in white. We’re keen to see inside as LS2 have invested more than €12m in this latest expansion, but before we do, there’s an official opening ceremony, carried out by Paul Liao, one of the three brothers who own LS2 and the parent company MHR. Liao cuts a ribbon with a large pair of gold scissors, assisted by LS2’s European CEO Guiseppe Porcu and other senior country managers, and with a big cheer, the new LS2 HQ is open for business…

We’re led through a row of loading bays, standing ready for HGVs to reverse into, and inside the pristine, freshly-built interior are enormous 15m high rows of pallet racking, with massive fork lifts picking their way through the maze of helmet boxes. The place is actually remarkably tidy, considering the staff have only just finished moving in from the previous premises, at Castella del Valles near Terrassa. They had one week to move the 140,000 helmets and other kit in stock and set up the logistics and software systems at the new location, all while keeping disruption to the day-to-day operations to a minimum.

Away from the vital logistics functions, the other 3000m2 of the building are dedicated

New 2023 products launched to LS2’s global distribution network

to administration offices and design studios, where the firm’s European design staff create helmet graphics and designs to support the factory development functions. A slick showroom area rounds off the HQ area, with all the latest helmets and clothing on display.

Refreshments follow, and a chat with CEO Guiseppe Porcu and co-owner Paul Liao, then it’s back to the hotel where we have the first new products presentation. LS2 looks to be well on top with the helmet side of its www.britishdealernews.co.uk

Paul Liao, co-owner of LS2 (second from right), helps cut the ribbon at the firms new HQ

business – but there’s more to come from the firm, with a massive push on clothing coming up. The LS2 bosses really see themselves as a growing mainstream player in the bike riding kit sector. And though it’s early steps for the brand – they have no leather options at the moment for example – the range of 2023 kit they showed off was compact in breadth and impressive in detail.

NEW HELMETS

As with all helmet manufacturers, LS2 has a lot of work to do to keep up with the forthcoming ECE 22.06 regulations and all new shells are being made to meet the first new helmet standards introduced in 20 years.

Luckily for its customers though, LS2 had plenty of new helmets on show in Barcelona, from the new Advant flip-front helmet through the Vector II sport touring helmet to the Drifter and X-Force off-road designs.

The Advant is perhaps the most interesting for UK buyers, bringing the LS2 package of high-tech construction, advanced design and good value to the modular or flip-front sector. The firm’s got previous here, of course: its Valiant flip-front helmet was a big hit, and the Advant aims to build on that. The base design features a unique 180° rotating chin bar, auto visor lift mechanism, internal sun visor, metal micro-adjust buckle and supplied Pinlock, starting from £249 with the firm’s Kinetic Polymer Alloy (KPA) construction.  www.britishdealernews.co.uk

BDN SAT DOWN WITH LS2’S ITALIAN CEO, Giuseppe Porcu, to discuss the history of LS2, where the brand has come from, how it coped with Covid-19, and what the future has in store? We started out by speaking about his own journey to LS2 – how did the 52-year-old Tuscan end up in Barcelona?

“I started with helmets, I was at Vemar in 1995, a long time ago! Then I moved to Givi in 2005, then in 2009 I had a phone call telling me about LS2. I already knew the firm, I had travelled in Asia, and then, of course, I said okay, they were just starting. 2008 was their first catalogue, then in 2009 I joined LS2, and here we are.”

Porcu then filled us in with a brief history of the LS2 firm and brand itself, and the three brothers who started it up: Arthur, Paul and Stephan Liao. “The three brothers, they started making helmets in China in 1990, so a long time ago! Two years ago, we tried to celebrate 30 years of production [Covid prevented this]. They started, of course, only for the domestic market. It was Arthur’s first business – he started seeing scooters and small motorcycles and thought there could be something interesting.”

Production methods were simple at the start – and working for large European brands helped the firm develop and grow. “It was the very easy way, with one mould! At that time, at the end of the 1990s, in Asia the reference for helmets was not China, it was Taiwan. And they learned quickly, and they kept trying hard. The big step was when they started working with some European brands. They taught them some things, and Arthur responded and tried to upgrade, to improve. And then around 2007 he said, ‘we are a family, why don’t we make our own brand?’ It was a big investment, and the first factory in China to do this.

“I think it’s like the story of many European helmet brands, that started in the 60s and 70s, they started with foreign brands and then made their own. Most of the Italian brands were built like this.”

The last couple of years has been tough for many firms – though motorcycling did escape some of the worst affects of the Covid-19 pandemic. And Porcu reckons that LS2’s global nature helped out here too. “We should say that since May 2020, we never stopped completely. This is the good point of being distributed in 115 countries – some were closed, some were not. And when some were still closed, some were reopening. I still remember 2020 in Germany, all the shops opening. I was in the office myself – we never stopped receiving containers – and I said okay let’s see what happens. Then, when we restarted, the market was really positive, and we were ready with plenty of helmets in the warehouse. We were lucky. I remember in April, speaking to people in Germany, people were going into shops and buying helmets. People were looking for something to get out of the house, no more cars, no more buses, no more Metro. Then we had the first week of May: France and Italy opened and it was the same. I still remember 18 May when Spain, the last country, opened up. We had the best month in our history in July 2020, we shipped 94,000 helmets in one month. We had to move to three shifts, so 24 hours there were people preparing orders, It was crazy.”

A positive story from the Covid disaster then. And now, LS2 is opening a new European HQ and showed us a film of a new garment factory being built at its base in China. Porcu took us through the changes in Barcelona and the next steps for the firm globally. “In 2007 we started in Terrassa, with 1500 square metres, five workers in the warehouse, and a small office. Now we are here with 35 employees – 15 in the warehouse – and two shifts, but the plan is to have at least 1012 employees more by the end of the year. We’ve found that the more helmets we have the more we ship, and the more our dealers order. We have a very good B2B service, and if dealers see a product is available then the orders come in.”

What about developments at the production centre in China? “In China, they started in a much smaller building, half an hour drive away, then they moved to the area where they are now: Gonghe Town in Jiangmen Province. They had a lot of space, so they’ve started building more departments, taking on more people, now there are 1800 staff at the top of the season, all in helmet manufacturing.”

What about the move into bike clothing? “Apparel is different, it will be in a new building, ready at the end of September. It’s the same story for garments, we started working for other brands, and step by step we said okay let’s focus on our own brand.

“Garments is a big expansion. It will grow, of course, we plan to do the same as we did with helmets. Not leathers in the short term, just textiles. Boots and gloves are not in-house at the moment, but they will be, we’re just taking the first steps.”

Next up in the range is the Advant-X, which uses LS2’s High-Performance Fibreglass Composite (HPFC) shell and a KPA chin bar. The Advant-X also has a different shell shape, with a more organic form at the rear, better aerodynamic performance and extensive venting. Finally, there’s the top-end Advant-X Carbon, which not only uses carbon fibre for the shell but also for the chin-bar, making it the only full carbon convertible helmet on the market, according to the firm. The carbon lid weighs in at just 1550g, with the Advant-X at 1600g and 1650g for the base Advant. RRPs are tempting too: £249 for the standard model, £329 for the X and around £399 for the carbon construction.

Next on the list of new 22.06 helmets is the Vector II sport touring lid, and the headline here is an amazing six shell sizes for the eight fitments (XS-4XL) – meaning almost every helmet size has its own bespoke outer shell, giving the optimum size and weight for the protection levels. That’s unusual: most firms stick with four or fewer outer mouldings across the size ranges.

The standard model uses LS2’s HPFC construction, with a new quick-release visor mechanism that features a metal geared ratchet system and tool-free visor swaps. There’s an internal flipdown sunvisor, Pinlock insert included in the box, and a metal micrometric buckle fastening. Add in an emergency cheek pad removal system, extensive venting, and a very light 1450g weight, and the Vector II looks like a very strong selling option, especially with the expected RRP of £180-£200. Want even more performance? There’s a full carbon version, again with six shells, weighing in at 1300g, on the way, with RRP to be confirmed.

LS2 has always been strong in the off-road sector, and the two new 22.06 designs look set to underline that. First up is the Drifter, which is a jet-style openface lid, ideal for trials or urban work, but which also includes a removable chin guard/mask section and detachable peak for full customisation. It has a KPA shell and should retail at under £100.

Advant X-Force LS2 KICKED OFF ITS 2023 clothing range launch with the new Rambla Evo (a fitting name in the home of the La Rambla tourist street). It’s a sharp-looking urban jacket, with a removable hood, breathable waterproof membrane, closable zipped vents and a removable thermal liner for perfect temperature control. The outer polyester spandex shell features reflective strips, subtle colourways and multi-adjustable cuffs, waist and hem. Available in men’s and ladies’ sizes from XS-5XL, it also boasts LS2’s own ‘slow bounce’ CE-approved armour in elbows and shoulders, plus a pocket for an optional LS2 back protector.

Next up is the Scout touring jacket, with all-season capabilities, a 600D fabric outer shell, removable waterproof breathable membrane, removable thermal liner, and extensive ventilation areas. There are stretch panels and extensive adjustments on collars, cuffs, arms and waist. LS2 designers have also placed the ‘rough’ side of the Velcro neck adjuster on the collar itself rather than the flap part – helping prevent damage to your helmet strap from a harsh grippy Velcro section waving around.

The Sepang jacket looks set to be a massive seller for LS2 dealers too. The entry-level design has a 600 denier polyester outer shell with waterproof breathable membrane, removable thermal liner and LS2’s soft bounce CE armour in elbows and shoulders, with a back protector pocket. The price is to be confirmed, but expect it to be super value.

Finally, at the top end of the range is the new Titanium jacket, which is LS2’s first garment with a laminated breathable waterproof 150d polyester material for the shell. It’s a four-season design, with removable thermal jacket inner and extensive venting, CE protectors in elbows and shoulders, and a range of subtle colourways with neat high-viz colour detailing.

Scout Sepang Titanium Rambla Evo

The X-Force is a high-end full-face carbon fibre dirt helmet, packed with features. There’s a double D-ring strap, extensive venting, adjustable peak, four shell sizes and a fully removable/washable liner. Prices are TBC on the X-Force.

The LS2 folk also released a totally new product: the Aura goggles. The firm has invested in special moulding manufacturing kit to produce its own doubleinjection moulded frame, with polycarbonate lenses and closed venting foam surround. There’s a removable nose guard, 50mm strap with silicone gripper strips and full adjustability, held on wide outrigger mounts on each side. LS2 has also incorporated a new two-pin tear-off setup, and a world first on goggles: an internal Pinlock insert, to prevent fogging. Available in six colours, and in a special Pro package that includes an iridium-coated lens and laminated tear-off kit.  CONTACT LS2