Carbon has recently announced its partnership with DDK, the company’s first saddle-specific contract manufacturer in Asia. The agreement establishes DDK as a dedicated, vertically integrated production partner, built to help brands bring 3D-printed saddles to market faster and at greater scale.
DDK’s facility brings additive manufacturing of latticed saddles and final saddle assembly together under one roof in Asia — a first-of-its-kind model for Carbon in the region. By consolidating each step of the saddle supply chain in a single location, DDK aims to compress customer time-to-market and unlock the efficiencies that come with vertical integration of the supply chain.
The partnership comes as 3D-printed saddles have shifted from a flagship product to a portfolio essential across leading saddle brands. Carbon’s technology has now enabled the production of nearly one million 3D-printed saddles, and demand continues to outpace existing capacity. Adding a Tier 1 contract manufacturer focused exclusively on saddle production, with the capabilities of delivering a completely assembled saddle, is a critical step in meeting demand.
“Bringing DDK online as the first Tier 1 supplier dedicated to printing saddles on the Carbon platform is a defining moment for the category,” said Phil DeSimone, Chief Executive Officer, Carbon. “3D-printed saddles are no longer a flagship novelty — they’re a must-have in brand portfolios, and our customers need partners who can deliver them at scale, in the right geographies, with the right capabilities. DDK opens the door to a faster path from design to rider, and brings 3D-printed performance within reach of a much wider range of riders, budgets, and skill levels.”
By expanding manufacturing capacity in Asia, the partnership broadens geographic access to 3D-printed saddle production and creates a foundation for future entry into the OEM market — making the technology more accessible to brands and end consumers alike.
