The wheel deal

Tiny technology company rolls along in niche transportation market.

By ANDREA ESTRADA
South Coast Beacon

Electrical engineer Tom Ligman has a fondness for things with wheels, particularly those connected to motors and electronic components. The owner of DPNP Technology in Goleta, Ligman has designed an electric scooter called The Storm, which has sold to eager riders in Australia and Europe. He recently unveiled his newest products, an electric adult tricycle and an electric skateboard, at the Interbike Industry Trade Show in Las Vegas.

“I like the electric wheeled-goods industry. It’s fun,” he said recently in an interview at his office near the Santa Barbara Airport. “It has more complicated products than what most people buy.”

Ligman started DPNP Technology two-and-a-half years ago after having worked at the Electric Transportation Co. in Montecito.

“That got me into the industry,” he explained.

When Ligman first established his company in 2001, he focused on helping other design businesses outsource their manufacturing activities to factories in Asia.

“Instead of doing my own products, I thought I’d find customers who want to move production to Asia. I looked for companies that needed that,” he said.

A year later he decided the time had come to get his own products into the market and Ligman developed The Storm.

Although the market for electric scooters boomed in the last couple of years, Ligman restricted sales of his products to Australia and Europe. He chose to stay out the U.S. market because he didn’t think he could compete with big-name retailers that could offer lesser quality products at lower prices than he could.

“I’ve recently begun marketing in the U.S. There are sustainable sales in the scooter industry now,” he said. “The scooters retail for $100 to $299 and that’s easy for distributors to take on.”

What distinguishes Ligman’s products, including his new adult tricycle, from those of his competitors is his commitment to post-purchase support.

“These require a company that can support and service the products and that’s where my success lies,” He said.

As far as the electric tricycle for adults is concerned, Ligman’s design isn’t the first in the industry, he added, but the only reasonably priced dedicated model.

“Large trikes have been around for a while. There are some electric ones out there but they generally have a bike power kit added on. Or else they’re very expensive,” Ligman said.

Opting for the most practical design possible, he “chose specifications that work price-wise and market-wise.”

“It retails for between $599 and $699, “ he said, “about the same price as a good mountain bike. You can hop on and go to the grocery store.”

Maxing out at 8 mph, the tricycle has enough power to carry a rider up a noticeable incline and accommodate a fair amount of weight.

As the scooter industry evens out, Ligman counts on the electric tricycle market to grow, particularly with the increasing number of baby boomers in the area.

“Lots of people in retirement communities have an interest in this,” he noted.

To market his products, Ligman has teamed with Kevin Wren, a former vice president of sales for Bell Sports, to create a second business called CRAVE Sports.

“A great idea is only half the battle,” Ligman said. “You need sales and marketing.”

Under Wren’s direction, CRAVE Sports handles sales and distribution for the products designed by DPNP Technology.

For more information about DPNP Technology or CRAVE Sports, visit www.cravesports.com.