
HO CHI MINH CITY -- Three years ago Jack O'Sullivan came to Vietnam to build premium electric bicycles, but factory after factory said it could not make the parts he needed. So he settled on an unorthodox way to bring them up to speed.
The Irishman started dispatching employees from Modmo, the bike exporter he founded in 2017, to work alongside the local suppliers. Today, Modmo sources about 50% of its components from Vietnam, a number O'Sullivan hopes will rise to replace his higher-cost parts from China and Taiwan.