Reebok 2009 Annual Report Download - page 97

GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT – OUR GROUP Research and Development 93
R&D activities at Reebok focus
on comfort and fit
R&D teams at Reebok create footwear,
apparel and hardware with the primary
focus on developing products that
provide maximum performance, comfort
and fit for the consumer. Teams are
structured along the brand’s product
category focus in addition to certain
cross-category groups such as the
Reebok Advanced Concepts (RAC) team.
Activities are primarily located in Canton/
Massachusetts, USA to facilitate close
collaboration with the respective product
marketing teams. In order to include
production consider ations early in the
process, a new develop ment centre was
opened in Vietnam close to the brand’s
sourcing base in the middle of 2009.
Industry-leading R&D at
TaylorMade-adidas Golf
TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s R&D team is
focused on continually designing and
developing industry-leading products.
The team is structured according to the
different product categories in golf and is
located in Carlsbad/California, USA.
Vertically integrated R&D
activities at Rockport
Rockport’s R&D function located in
Canton/Massachusetts, USA, is a verti-
cally integrated organisation that covers
all aspects of strategy, research, design,
engineering and testing, while incorp-
orating the Group’s advanced proprietary
athletic footwear technologies into casual
and dress shoes.
Reebok-CCM Hockey R&D
located in Canada
The R&D teams at Reebok-CCM Hockey,
located at two different locations in
Canada, are dedicated to continuously
creating state-of-the-art hockey equip-
ment for both professional and recrea-
tional players. Teams are organised by
category under the two brands Reebok
and CCM.
Selective purchase of external
R&D expertise
In addition to its internal R&D efforts, the
adidas Group also purchases a limited
amount of R&D expertise from well-
established research partners. We enter
into external collaborations to gain
access to highly specialised knowledge
in certain areas of expertise we have
decided not to fill internally.
This strategy allows for greater flexibility
and faster access to know-how that may
otherwise require considerable time and
resources if built up within the Group. To
increase efficiency and protect research
results, collaborations are usually long-
term and exclusive. All projects carried
out with external partners are based on
a clearly defined mandate outlining the
project scope to ensure consistency with
the Group’s R&D focus. Major adidas
relationships exist with the University
of Loughborough, England, the Univer-
sity of Calgary, Canada, the University
of Erlangen-Nürnberg, RWTH Aachen
University and the University of Freiburg,
Germany. In 2009, the development of
the JABULANI football, for example, was
based on comprehensive aerodynamic
research conducted by Loughborough
University. Reebok
partners with the Uni-
versity of Delaware
in various categories,
in particular in developing toning prod-
ucts. Using
electromyographic tests, the
benefits of increased muscle activity are
verified for new product developments
in this category. TaylorMade-adidas Golf
cooperates with the University of Calgary.
In 2009, a joint study of swing dynamics
was conducted to help improve the
brand’s club and ball fitting logic.
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MAJOR R&D LOCATIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Main activities Location
adidas Global Development
Center (ait) Herzogenaurach, Germany
Global Development
Center (ait) Portland/ Oregon, USA
Global Research and
Testing Center (ait) Scheinfeld, Germany
Product Creation
Center Shanghai, China
Product Creation
Center Tokyo, Japan
Reebok Global Development
and Testing Center Canton/ Massachusetts, USA
Development and
Testing Center Ho Chi Minh,
Vietnam
TaylorMade-adidas Golf Global Development
and Testing Center Carlsbad/ California, USA
Rockport Global Development
and Testing Center Canton/ Massachusetts, USA
Reebok-CCM Hockey Development and
Testing Center Montreal/ Quebec, Canada
Development and
Testing Center
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu/
Quebec, Canada