News
Made in Germany, Part 1: High performance, from the initial idea to the series production ski 
27. Juli 2010
A Völkl ski is a powerful piece of high-tech sports equipment. So the work that goes into its development is correspondingly intense. As a skier, it is hard to envision how much time, creativity, know-how and test mileage it takes before we are satisfied - that you will be satisfied! Our “Made in Germany” report will give you an idea of what is involved.
The first place to look is always over the horizon
The word “ski” starts with an “s”, as in “selection”. So, at Völkl in Straubing, the first phase in the development of a ski involves a free selection of trends, ideas and tendencies. Dividing lines are irrelevant here, even those between sectors. What is going on at the moment in automobile construction? What is hot in the bike sector? And “poaching” from music, art and architecture is also allowed. At the end of this inspirational “selection” of materials, a product vision is born: For example, “a racing ski with adjustable running characteristics” or “a beginner’s ski with running performance that grows in line with the skills of the skier”.
Where do we go from here?
On the basis of the vision, Völkl works out the requirements for the new ski. The input for the development department comes from all directions: from product management which defines the direction, from marketing which focuses on the possible target groups and from sales which supplies preliminary costings. The requirements, in turn, define the framework conditions. Much about the basic design can already be derived from the desired running performance: Which geometry? What kind of sidecut? How hard...?
The idea takes shape
This is where the modeling department comes in. With their know-how and feel for the product, they transform the ideas into real objects for the first time. But these early models are still far removed from the finished ski. Especially in the case of very complex technical innovations, such as the Power Switch mechanism, five or six completely different approaches to the solution are often developed in parallel. The purpose of the model is a general assessment of whether a technology will provide the desired benefits. So the question now is: How far does the solution match the vision?
Early system development – one of many Völkl strengths
No ski is complete without a binding. Many manufacturers, however, only fit them to the completed ski as an afterthought. We do things very differently at Völkl. Thanks to our alliance with Marker, the integration of an optimal binding is taken into account at a very early stage. What is more, in many cases the design of the ski and the binding is interdependent, so they are jointly developed right from the start. As in the iPT Wideride – the extra wide binding for the new Allmountain ski models from Völkl. A prime example of a perfect system, in which the whole is more than the sum of its parts!
Round and round: Looping the loop for prototypes
When, on the basis of the model, a general decision has been made on the (technical) directions to be pursued, an intensive process begins in the development of the ski: prototype construction, tests, feedback meetings, new prototypes, new tests and new findings. In repeated so-called loops, each ski is progressively optimized. According to the degree of innovation and complexity, up to six loops may be necessary before the result satisfies or exceeds all expectations. Typical of Völkl here are its many different testing methods and its own high standards. A warranty for product quality developed to perfection!
[You can read more about our testing methods in the next Newsletter]
The first original form: Does the package work?
It is not always necessary to test a complete functional prototype. According to the test set-up, there are also models specially designed for the clarification of just one parameter, for example the sidecut. This has the advantage that even minimal effects on the running characteristics can always be clearly assigned. Attention to detail à la Völkl. Only when all the parameters fit does the ski have what it takes for series production. The first original form can now be milled. This, the result of all the work so far, forms the so-called preproduction run for the final trials. Each step in the work and the assembly of up to 50 individual parts is carried out by hand. Only when the package is correct and has been approved by all those involved, can the machines be started up.
Good to know
Völkl presents its ski collection annually, with about 65 different ski models. Of these, about 25 models are completely new technical developments which, as a rule, have a development history of eighteen months. Altogether, about 2,000 prototypes and models per year are constructed by hand in Straubing.