Hello All,
I just want to share a few things about how we came about our ball releases for this summer. There have been way to many negative responses on here to let rumors continue. We don't normally share business practices on forums like this, but there are some things that can be mentioned that might help all of you understand our position.
First and foremost is our move to Mexico for production. I will not discuss the whys, just the effects on production this summer. With our move we will now begin manufacturing our own cores instead of having them made for us. Our R & D team, on top of trying to design balls, has spent the past year designing a core production room, so any advancements in cores had to be put on hold for the time being due to lack of time. Because of this, it was necessary for us to continue to use cores that we knew were already proven and that we could still have made for us as needed until the day comes that we are actually in production of our own cores.
That brings me to the actual balls we released. First, the Wizard. Yes, it was designed to specifically replace the Nemisis, which we felt was a great performance that just needed updating so shops could have something new and fresh to sell. They asked for it and we delivered. With that being said, we still feel that we see a slight difference in ball reaction, most likely due to color change. Second, the Red Zone. We felt this line needed a new look cosmetically and we felt we could create a reaction similar to the successful Zone Classic, yet keep it in a solid coverstock with more versatility. Again, we feel the color change has affected the reaction of this ball compared to a Strike Zone with the cover shined to copy that of the Red. Both balls reactions look terrific, and the success stories still pour in on a weekly basis. On top of that, Pro Shops are pleased that we gave them 2 good looking balls with catchy names that are easily marketable.
Then there is the Radical, our first ball to come out of Mexico only. Again we stuck with a core that we have proven and that we are able to tweak to create RG and Diff numbers that worked well with our new coverstock. The Octane coverstock is an Activator base material that we advanced so much that we could not manufacture it in Muskegon with the older machinery. We have worked on this cover for a few years, just couldn't run with it yet, until now. I think this ball, with it's extreme versatility in coverstock, will be the hit release of the season. We experimented with this ball at the Mini-Eliminator tournament with all styles of bowlers, using a multitude of surface changes and layouts. Most impressive thing was that no matter how much we dulled it down for the oily conditions, it never burned up early on the pattern. It was still clean through the front with even better midlane reaction and strong on the back. That's hard to create with a dull surface, and it was not just because of the amount of oil on the lanes. Some guys were still able to use the ball shiny on the same lanes with success. We were able to match each ball up to each bowler to create the reaction needed. On top of that, it was our first ball ever to be a combination of more than 2 colors. I think we came up with a great color with our first ball to use this new technology.
I hope most of you did not feel we were dodging the questions about the Wizard and Red Zone just being the same balls re-released under new names and looks. We felt we answered those questions when asked....not attacked. We try not to discuss the specifics of our business on these boards, we just hoped that the balls would speak for themselves. There are numerous factors that go into each and every new release, and we do not want to share all that information on public forums. Believe me, we knew these balls would not be for everyone, they never are. We just knew what shops wanted and what bowlers could have success with and we made them.
As the months go on, and production in Mexico gets to full force, you will see new and exciting technology from us. We knew this would be a very difficult transition to make while still continuing to stick to our scheduled releases. We are very pleased to say that we hit these hurdles in full stride and met our objectives......now we move forward in a very strong way.
Thank You very much to all the loyalists that have stuck by us and defended our honor during this transition. And to all the naysayers, we apologize for any discomfort and confusion we have caused you. We want to help every bowler out there, but we will not respond to negative attacks made in such childish manners on these forums. We feel it is very unprofessional to do so.
Regards,
Robert Lawrence
Product Specialist - SW
Brunswick Bowling - Consumer Division
Edited on 7/28/2006 9:59 AM
