Reebok 2010 Annual Report Download - page 114

110 Group Management Report – Our Group Research and Development
Research and Development
Creating innovative products to meet the changing needs of athletes and consumers is essential to drive brand perception. As
a result, research and development (R&D) is a cornerstone for the success of our business. We invest considerable resources
into developing and commercialising new technologies as well as fresh design ideas, in order to best fulfil the unique
needs of our consumers. The research and development process is driven by teams of employees with diverse professional
backgrounds. In 2011, R&D will focus on customisation and digital sports products.
R&D an integral part of the product
creation process
R&D within the adidas Group follows a
decentralised approach. Fundamental
and biomechanical research, however,
is shared across the Group. In line
with its distinctive positioning, each
brand runs its own research, design
and development activities. The teams
generally have either a category or a
technology focus. R&D is not a separate
organisational entity, but is closely
integrated with the sourcing, design
and product marketing functions. As a
result, all R&D activities are focused on
producing results directly applicable to
a specific product. At the beginning of
the product creation process, marketing
defines a development priority. This is
derived on a case-by-case basis from
a combination of consumer research
and feedback, competition analysis and
own product testing. Independently
from specific development requests,
our innovation teams also analyse new
materials, production processes or
scientific research – often even from
other industries – to increase the scope
of idea generation. These are presented
to product marketing at an early stage to
assess commerciality.
Once conceptualised, new technologies
are engineered using state-of-the-art
CAD and Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
systems. The sourcing team together
with the material teams within product
development work closely with our
suppliers to identify innovative materials
as well as integrate cost and production
process aspects into the development
phase. As soon as a new technology
is deemed viable, it is produced as a
physical sample. Samples are then tested
extensively by members of our innovation
team as well as by top athletes. Only
when these tests have been successful
are technologies handed over to product
marketing which commercialises the
technology to a final product.
adidas Innovation Team drives
brand’s R&D initiatives
R&D activities at adidas focus on the
development of innovative technologies
for performance sport. To solidify adidas’
position as a leader in technology and
innovation, the adidas Innovation Team
(ait) is responsible for the ongoing
development of new technologies and
concepts in all key product categories.
The team is divided into groups that
focus on apparel, footwear and hardware,
within which there are individual product
focus categories like basketball, football
(soccer), American football or cross-
category project areas such as intelligent
products or energy management
systems (cushioning technologies). The
majority of these teams are located
in Herzogenaurach, Germany, and
Portland/Oregon, USA. Dedicated
innovation develop ment centres in Asia
focus on the realisation of concepts
through prototyping as part of the
product creation process. These centres
are important in terms of development
efficiencies, as product development
takes place in real production
environments.
R&D activities at Reebok focus
on fitness and training
R&D teams at Reebok create footwear,
apparel and hardware with the primary
focus being on fitness and training.
Teams are structured along the brand’s
category priorities, in strength and
muscle activation, conditioning and
flexibility. In addition, there are certain
cross-category groups such as the
Reebok Advanced Concepts (RAC) team,
which ensures specific concepts can be
taken right through from initial idea to
production.
Reebok’s R&D activities are primarily
located in Canton/Massachusetts, USA,
with collaboration partners at Advanced
Development Centres in China and
Vietnam, which focus on new technology
developments, cutting-edge materials
and treatments and manufacturing
solutions.
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 vertically integrated organisation
that covers all aspects of strategy,
research, design, engineering and
testing, while incorporating the Group’s
advanced proprietary athletic footwear
technologies into the shoe collections.