Premier Engineered Products currently casts three aluminum die castings for Public Bike System Company, also called BIXI System, in Montreal, Canada.
BIXI is a company that supplies their public bike system to many cities worldwide. BIXI was created from a clean sheet with the intention of marrying the practical with the aesthetic. World-renowned industrial designer Michel Dallaire was entrusted with the design of the physical components. The bikes themselves feature clean lines and a sleek look that in no way compromises their sturdiness and safety. Design elements are carried over to the technical platforms, bike docks and pay stations.
BIXI is a “fourth generation” system, in the sense that it is completely portable and doesn’t require the excavation and consequent damage to the urban environment (not to mention substantial costs to the community in terms of preparatory work) that are typical of most systems currently in use. This also dramatically reduces the time required to get a BIXI system up and running.
BIXI is solar-powered, to avoid creating any emissions and the use of non-renewable energy sources and to eliminate the need of hooking up to the community’s energy grid, thus reducing associated costs and excavation requirements as well as installation time.
BIXI has been designed from a clean sheet, specifically for heavy urban use as a public bike system, not put together from components from other systems, which is very advantageous in terms of reliability, durability and optimal functioning.
BIXI is run by a time-tested software system that has proven to be extremely reliable.
BIXI was created to be sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of virtually any climate in the world.
BIXI was designed to be an enhancement to the urban landscape, not an impediment to enjoying it. To blend into its surroundings, not overpower them.
Although very popular in Europe since the early 1990s, public bike systems were virtually unknown in North America as late as 2006. But, recently there has been a groundswell of interest that has surged across the continent. Some launches to date include: Hubway in Boston, Citi Bike in New York City, Capital Bikeshare in Washington DC and Arlington, Melbourne Bike Share in Melbourne, Bike Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Miami Beach, Montreal, Toronto, Minneapolis, Portland, and Vancouver, and more. These are just some of the cities that have expressed an interest in or are actually setting up public bike systems. Not to mention a host of college and university campuses.
Reasons to go with BIXI System:
- Easy to install
- Easy to use
- No preparatory excavation
- All components designed to work together
- Least environmental impact
- Universal BIXI key
- Enhancement of urban landscape
- Cost-effective
- 5-year guarantee
Left and Ride Panel Doors
Premier Engineered Products provides complete painted and machined die castings for the Right/Left Doors used in the technical platform of each bike docking station. The station includes bikes, bike docks and pay stations, all with a seamless look and seamless integration into the technical platform. The Door die castings that Premier provides are aesthetic looking and provide a ruggedness to each dock.
Cartridge and Docking Station
The bike dock also includes a “plug and play” module that fits into the technical platform and is the user interface with RFID capabilities for payments by subscribers with a BIXI key. The module consists of an aluminum die casting that is cast with a special alloy, “369 aluminum” and provides durability and anti vandal resistance strength to the module. The module is a very complex machined and painted die casting that Premier provides complete to BIXI for assembly into the technical platform of each bike docking station.
BIXI is using Premier as a “Made in the USA” source and is able to market the BIXI System to major cities in the United States with the use of “USA” content. Several large city installations on the USA track include Hubway of Boston, SmartBike DC of Washington DC, and the newest addition Citi Bike of New York City.
By Leonard Cordaro, President of Premier Engineered Products
