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www.PowersportsBusiness.com NEWS Powersports Business • July 13, 2015 • 9 in recent years due to the establishment of companies such as Hisun and other expand- ing manufacturers. Hisun's growth in the U.S. has helped it establish solid footing financially in recent years. Hisun's primary markets are North America, Europe, Australia and Russia. Due to the robust product lineup within the 2014 and 2015 model years, Mr. Li spends most of his time in the R&D facilities, which cover more than 230,000 square feet and house more than 100 engineers. Mr. Li has a back- ground in mechanical engineering, so he has found the R&D facilities to his liking. These days, he's more likely to be spotted on the assembly line to become more familiar with those challenges. Henry Li, Mr. Li's U.K.-edu- cated son, oversees the daily operations as president of the company. The CNC machining center is our first stop on the tour. A constant temperature work- shop (it's permanently 22-26 C) sits on 25,000 square feet and includes 100 workers. CNC- machined engine parts, when made under varying temperatures, expand and contract often. A part that was machined at one tem- perature and assembled at another temperature could lead to an inexact fitment. It's easy to see that jobs in the CNC building are highly sought due to the pleasant year-round climate. Among powersports manufacturers in China, it's known to be the only controlled tempera- ture CNC machining facility. The engine plant is also a constant tempera- ture (22-26 C). German Bosch torque assem- bling systems and BASF catalytic converters are part of the engine development. The die casting building is the crown jewel of the tour. Newly minted in October 2014, it allows Hisun to die cast parts for its own engines. Prior to opening up the die casting building, Hisun depended on outside factories for its engine parts. It appears to be a difficult and nasty process, but it's a step forward that Hisun views as critical to controlling the parts and pieces of its engines on its own terms. It's a newly opened building, but already designated for growth in the near future. The frame production plant is divided into a molding and fixture workshop, stamping and welding. The injection molding plant also is an impressive creature. The machines vary from 90 tons to 3,300 tons. Next we were treated to a water transfer camouflage process, which was mesmerizing entertainment. A triple submersion cleaning process similar to that used in to the auto indus- try highlighted the power paint coating section. The assembly plant houses 400 workers, two assembly lines and two packing lines. Air conditioning coming down from above each line also is a bonus. Mr. Li then treated us to one of his favorite seafood restaurants, where he pointed to a fish in an aquarium, motioned to the waiter and watched the waiter scoop out the fish with a net. He repeated that about a half-dozen more times, and our party of six was gladly attended to a half-dozen waiters and waitresses. An impressive R&D center features a park- ing test bed that turns the units every way imaginable for stability testing. The suspension dynamics also get high-level treatment here. Engineers are able to tell the compression ratio of all the suspensions and how they're going to perform in a particular situation by a machine that puts individual pressure on the suspension. A Horiba emissions testing machine, like other Horiba testing equipment found in U.S.- based engine testing labs, is another sign of the company's commitment to quality. The machine is calibrated frequently, so that when production line testing is performed, Hisun knows that its products are passing EPA requirements. Test gasses are imported from the U.S., and combined with the proper cali- bration of the EPA machine, they make for an accurate measurement of emissions. The following day was time to get dirty, so I hopped aboard the Strike 1000 on the test track. Never having driven a 1000cc UTV, it's everything it's built up to be and then some. Plenty of power and torque, and the Level Flight Suspension was put to the test on a banked end of an oval, with rocks imbed- ded into the ground. Riding up or down the embankment at speed continually brought confidence. So much so, in fact, that I was ready for more after lunch. It was there that I learned one of the most intriguing aspects of the factory — for every 200 units that are produced, one is taken out for testing to ensure quality standards are met. PSB HISUN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 The coating plant uses a triple submersion cleaning process.