Marzocchi closes. It's official

October 2015

Shock absorbers | Motorcycle suspension | Ikon
 

It's been coming for a long while, and now it's happened. Officially. Tenneco, the giant US parent company of Marzocchi, has confirmed the closure of the Bologna, Italy workshops with the loss of 127 jobs. Since the beginning of 2015 the stories have been flying around, specifically that Marzocchi was looking for a buyer. There was in fact an announcement to that effect in July this year, but over the last few months it was hoped that salvation would come from somewhere. But hope has now been all but lost.

Marzocchi was founded in 1949. It began in the basement of the house occupied by brothers Stefano and Guglielmo Marzocchi (in Bologna). By the 1970s, Marzocchi suspension was a name that thousands of motorcyclists wanted associated with their mounts; a name that was frequently used as a selling point.

Marzocchi suspension also became fitted as original equipment on numerous marques, notably Ducati and (Meriden) Triumph. But it was in the aftermarket parts industry that the brand grew and prospered.

So what happened? The world changed. That's what. New players came into the market and nibbled bigger and bigger slices of the cake. And Marzocchi's business model, despite the backing of Tenneco, failed to rationalise and reposition the ailing firm. Consequently, the Marzocchi arm of Tenneco's business empire had long been running at a loss, and with little chance of Marzocchi bouncing back, the Tenneco accountants have finally drawn a line under the brand.

Tenneco, which employs 29,000 staff and is based in Lake Forest, Illinois, bought Marzocchi in 2008. Tenneco, by the way, is a world leader in vehicle emission control systems, albeit under various brands. With Marzocchi now safely in the trashcan of history, Tenneco is looking to increase its profits and address its wider financial challenges.

So that's it, huh?

Well maybe not. Better not empty that trashcan just yet. To a new generation of cyclists, Marzocchi mountain bike suspension carries a lot of gravitas. And to an older generation of motorcyclists, the Marzocchi name also retains value. When Koni, in 2000, exited the motorcycle suspension market (following a 33 year run), Australian firm Proven Products negotiated the manufacturing rights and now produce Konis under the Ikon brand.

It could transpire that a firm such as Ikon, or similar, might buy the Marzocchi name and rights, dust it off and re-focus either exclusively on the mountain bike market or possibly on the motorcycle market. Sometimes, this kind of downsizing pays off. But it will take either a brave firm, or one with deep pockets (or both) to enter the suspension market when companies such as Öhlins, Showa, Progressive, White Power and Hagon (not necessarily in that order) are so well established and have eaten most of the cake and left little except the crumbs.

Still, it ain't over until it's over, and it might not be over yet. So don't get that black suit dry-cleaned just yet...

— Big End