Excerpts from the article by Austin Weber on www.assemblymag.com with quotes from Phil Anthony of Design Integrity:
“Faster, higher, stronger” is the Olympic motto. It’s also the underlying philosophy behind the $25 billion U.S. sporting goods industry.
Sports equipment comes in all shapes and sizes. The diverse industry includes bicycles, camping gear, fishing tackle, fitness equipment, hunting rifles and scopes, kayaks, scuba gear and diving equipment, and skis. Of course, there’s also shoes, clothing and protective wear, in addition to various types of balls, bats, boards, clubs, racquets and sticks.
Unlike other types of consumer products, sporting goods have two unique market niches: professional athletes and amateurs who engage in sports for leisure. Cutting-edge products developed for professionals often trickle down to weekend warriors. And, the competitive industry readily adapts technology from other fields, such as automotive, aerospace, medical devices and consumer electronics.
“There are two sides to each niche market within the sporting goods industry,” says Phil Anthony, P.E., president of Design Integrity Inc. “Each sport has a segment that’s driven by low cost, using traditional materials. There’s another portion that’s driven by performance and favors materials that have higher strength-to-weight ratios.
“Product development efforts typically focus on making products stronger or lighter weight to create better performance or less strain on the body,” explains Anthony, who has designed bicycle components, golf clubs and other types of sports equipment. “Life cycles for sporting goods are getting shorter and shorter.”
To read more, check out the full article here: https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/92480-new-materials-spur-innovation-in-sporting-goods-manufacturing