SuperbrandS Finland 98 Market Suunto is the leading
Amer Sports’ global sales organization distributes its portfolio of sporting equipment to tens of thousands of sporting goods shops worldwide. It is a significant partner to the trade as it is one of the top global suppliers in almost all its selected sports. In 2004, the company’s net sales were €1,058.8 million and EBIT €122.0 million. At the end of 2004, the company had 4,066 employees. Achievements Suunto’s goal is profitable growth. Good profitability enables investments to be made in product development and marketing, which are essential for the achievement of global leadership in the sports equipment market. Day-to-day operations are primarily focused in achieving organic growth on the back of the development of innovative products, effective marketing, good customer service, and an efficient supply chain. Through Suunto’s subsidiaries - Fitzwright Group of Companies, Suunto Benelux B.V., Suunto Diving UK, Suunto USA, and Ursuk Oy – Suunto provides a range of water sports and diving suits under the brand names Bare, Ursuit, and Heavy Light, and a wide range of other diving equipment under the Suunto brand name.
Market Suunto is the leading manufacturer of sports instruments for a variety of sports, including diving, skiing, hiking, sailing, and golf. Its strategy is to focus on sports activities where advanced measurement technology, data processing, and specific algorithms can create significant benefits for active sportspeople, enthusiasts and participants. Suunto is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Helsinki-based Amer Sports Corporation. Amer Sports Corporation is listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange, and is one of the world’s leading suppliers of sports equipment through its internationally recognized and respected brands Wilson, Atomic, Suunto, and Precor. All Amer Sports companies develop and manufacture technologically advanced improvement products for active sportspeople. Amer Sports’ business is balanced by its broad portfolio of sports equipment coupled with its presence in all major markets.
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Superbrands Finland
History Suunto was established in 1936 when Tuomas Vohlonen invented the liquid-filled compass. Essential for Finnish troops during World War II - who needed to know where they were in a flat country covered by ice, snow and dense forests - it also set the direction Suunto would follow over the next 70 years, specifically in measurements. With that core competence, Suunto is able
to replace the need for luck, by giving people more personal control of their environment. Today Suunto is the largest manufacturer of compasses and precision instruments used worldwide for accurate measurement in areas such as forestry, mining, and surveying. By the 1960s, divers had realized that strapping a compass to one’s wrist underwater gave direction. But in the water one needs to be able to operate in three dimensions i.e. depth, direction and dive time. So, in the 1970s Suunto launched its first dedicated diving instruments, which could calculate depth, distance as well as direction. With the 1980s came computers, and the new digital world enabled Suunto to develop its first dive computers. These devices calculated water pressure and temperature and provided information on how to conduct a safe dive. Eventually they replaced the need for tables, as well as luck! The dramatic drop in diving accidents is directly related to this innovation and Suunto is the world leader in this field. In the 1990s Suunto emerged out of the water and back on land, where it had started. Developments in electrical engineering meant that it was now possible to create a wrist-worn instrument which would give you information on your altitude, weather changes, temperature, time as well as direction - it was called the Suunto Vector. For the first time, Suunto equipment could inform a hiker whatwas happening inside his/her body as well aswhat was going on in the surrounding environment.Today, hikers, adventurer’s, racers,mountain bikers, soldiers and many others replace luck as they excel, thanks to Suunto. As the decade progressed, heart rate information became also available. For the first time, Suunto equipment could inform a hiker what was happening inside his/her body as well as what was going on in the surrounding environment. Today, hikers, adventurer’s, racers, mountain bikers, soldiers and many others replace luck as they excel, thanks to Suunto.
Going into the new millennium, Suunto emerged off the mountains and can today be found on sports fields, golf courses, yachts, cities and just about anywhere else people would like to have a little more control over what happens and what is going in their daily lives. Suunto’s products can measure just about anything and provide information directly to one’s wrist. Acceleration, rotation, position, impact, orientation and speed are all now possible to calculate. Tuomas Vohlonen would never have been able to imagine where technology was heading, but he understood one fundamental thing that is as true today as it was in 1936. It is always important to know where you are going. Product Headquartered in Vantaa, Finland, Suunto has grown to be the world’s leading manufacturer of diving instruments. Since the launch of the Suunto Vector in 1998, its wristop computer category has steadily grown to be the most important product category today. Suunto also provides a wide range of mechanical instruments - field compasses, precision instruments and marine compasses - these products have been the core of Suunto throughout its history. The success of Suunto is based on its high quality products and consistent dedication to research and development. Since 2003, Suunto has also been in partnership with Microsoft. After one year of intensive research and development cooperation, Suunto introduced the Suunto n3, an advanced wristop computer that combines the quality and features that consumers have come to expect from Suunto with access to timely information, at a glance, provided by Microsoft’s MSN® Direct Service. In addition to the fruitful R&D cooperation that produced this fascinating new instrument, the partnership with Microsoft has opened tremendous opportunities for Suunto to communicate its brand and products to a larger audience.
Recent Developments In 2004, Suunto entered a new area of business by introducing Suunto t6, the first sports instrument in the world that really tells what kind of effect each training session has on the fitness. With the Suunto t6 it is now possible, for the first time, to measure the physiological training load to the body caused by the exercise, known as EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) outside laboratories. Quite surprisingly the accuracy of the training analysis is at the same level as when done in a laboratory using expensive instrumentation. Suunto’s Peripheral Observation Devices (POD’s) are developed for measuring, storing and transmitting data for different sports. These external sensors expand the functionality of the Suunto t6. The Suunto Foot Pod is a
speed and distance sensor for running using acceleration sensors that actually measure the 3-dimensional motion of each stride. Because the distance and speed are measured in this way and not, for example, by simply counting the step impulses, the measurement error is smaller than 1-2% from the true distance traveled. Thus, a 5 kilometer run would have a typical error of only a few tens of meters when measured with the Suunto Foot Pod. The Suunto Bike Pod turns Suunto t6 into a wireless bike computer offering the speed and distance data and correlating that with the physiological analysis of the Suunto t6. The PC Pod enables easy wireless data transfer between the Suunto t6 and a PC. The Suunto t6 and the PODs use the new ANT (Area Network Tiny) transmission technology that creates a basis for a low-power and efficient wireless sports area data network. The Suunto t6 Team Pack is a complete solution for situations where a trainer can manage the sports activities involving a group of athletes. The Suunto t6 Team Pack consists of ten Suunto t6 wristop computers and a team version of the Suunto Training Manager PC software. This helps to ensure that every team player is training at the optimal level of his/her capacity, elevating the team to its highest potential. Promotion Amer Sports and Suunto’s strategy is based on sports, leisure-time activities, and well-being. Suunto focuses on sports activities where advanced measurement technology, data processing and specific algorithms can create significant added value to the active participant. Rising standards of living, the greater leisure time people now enjoy, and their growing awareness of the importance of physical and mental well-being open up future growth potential for the sports equipment industry. Amer Sports intends on achieving its challenging goal and vision of becoming the No. 1 sports equipment company in the world through a consumer-focused product strategy, strong brands, innovative research and product development, first-class customer service, and an efficient supply chain. The Company cannot reach this goal through organic growth alone. Rather, it will participate in the ongoing consolidation of the industry by carrying out acquisitions. Its objective is to acquire companies that mesh with its chosen business strategy and strengthen the company as a whole. Amer Sports is dedicated to active lifestyles, sports and wellness. It believes that the right equipment is the key to making sports and physical exercise more fun, enjoyable and effective. The equipment it produces provides athletes at every level with the tools they need to get the best results and most enjoyment from their sports. At the core of its business is the passion for sports. In addition to this, the primary
drive is setting and achieving targets, moving beyond its limits both in life, business and technology, thereby enabling people to achieve their highest goals in sports and increase wellbeing in life. Brand Values Suunto’s values are guided by Amer Sports’ values, which guide all its employees around the world. Success in competition requires determination to win, team spirit, fair play and innovation. Suunto’s mission is to be the world’s most desired sports instrument brand. Amer Sports mission is to provide sports and fitness equipment that enables everyone from the enthusiastic beginner to the professional athlete to get the best results and most enjoyment from their sports. Things you didn’t know ABOUT… Suunto • Tuomas Vohlonen, the inventor of liquidfilled compass, used a powder box and a Vaseline jar for his first prototype compass. • In the 1950s a British commercial diver used a Suunto field compass during his dive and contacted Suunto with suggestions for further developments. The new business era of diving compasses began. • Today Suunto is world’s leading manufacturer of diving instruments. • In the early days marine compasses were filled with alcohol, and mysteriously, when the compasses arrived for routine service they were mostly found to be emptied of their contents • Lt. Ruben Norrback, Commander of Finnish Army Infantry Regiment No. 24, usually carried his compass in a map case. One morning he decided to place it in his left breast pocket to have it even closer at hand. A Russian sniper was hiding in a tall spruce; he chose his target, aimed and fired. Somebody immediately said, “That is the end of Norrback”. Lt. Norrback got up with only chest pains and bruising…the compass saved his life. www.suunto.com
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Market Suunto is the leading manufacturer of sports instruments for a variety of sports, including diving, skiing, hiking, sailing, and golf. Its strategy is to focus on sports activities where advanced measurement technology, data processing, and specific algorithms can create significant benefits for active sportspeople, enthusiasts and participants. Suunto is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Helsinki-based Amer Sports Corporation. Amer Sports Corporation is listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange, and is one of the world’s leading suppliers of sports equipment through its internationally recognized and respected brands Wilson, Atomic, Suunto, and Precor. All Amer Sports companies develop and manufacture technologically advanced improvement products for active sportspeople. Amer Sports’ business is balanced by its broad portfolio of sports equipment coupled with its presence in all major markets.
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Superbrands Finland
History Suunto was established in 1936 when Tuomas Vohlonen invented the liquid-filled compass. Essential for Finnish troops during World War II - who needed to know where they were in a flat country covered by ice, snow and dense forests - it also set the direction Suunto would follow over the next 70 years, specifically in measurements. With that core competence, Suunto is able
to replace the need for luck, by giving people more personal control of their environment. Today Suunto is the largest manufacturer of compasses and precision instruments used worldwide for accurate measurement in areas such as forestry, mining, and surveying. By the 1960s, divers had realized that strapping a compass to one’s wrist underwater gave direction. But in the water one needs to be able to operate in three dimensions i.e. depth, direction and dive time. So, in the 1970s Suunto launched its first dedicated diving instruments, which could calculate depth, distance as well as direction. With the 1980s came computers, and the new digital world enabled Suunto to develop its first dive computers. These devices calculated water pressure and temperature and provided information on how to conduct a safe dive. Eventually they replaced the need for tables, as well as luck! The dramatic drop in diving accidents is directly related to this innovation and Suunto is the world leader in this field. In the 1990s Suunto emerged out of the water and back on land, where it had started. Developments in electrical engineering meant that it was now possible to create a wrist-worn instrument which would give you information on your altitude, weather changes, temperature, time as well as direction - it was called the Suunto Vector. For the first time, Suunto equipment could inform a hiker whatwas happening inside his/her body as well aswhat was going on in the surrounding environment.Today, hikers, adventurer’s, racers,mountain bikers, soldiers and many others replace luck as they excel, thanks to Suunto. As the decade progressed, heart rate information became also available. For the first time, Suunto equipment could inform a hiker what was happening inside his/her body as well as what was going on in the surrounding environment. Today, hikers, adventurer’s, racers, mountain bikers, soldiers and many others replace luck as they excel, thanks to Suunto.
Going into the new millennium, Suunto emerged off the mountains and can today be found on sports fields, golf courses, yachts, cities and just about anywhere else people would like to have a little more control over what happens and what is going in their daily lives. Suunto’s products can measure just about anything and provide information directly to one’s wrist. Acceleration, rotation, position, impact, orientation and speed are all now possible to calculate. Tuomas Vohlonen would never have been able to imagine where technology was heading, but he understood one fundamental thing that is as true today as it was in 1936. It is always important to know where you are going. Product Headquartered in Vantaa, Finland, Suunto has grown to be the world’s leading manufacturer of diving instruments. Since the launch of the Suunto Vector in 1998, its wristop computer category has steadily grown to be the most important product category today. Suunto also provides a wide range of mechanical instruments - field compasses, precision instruments and marine compasses - these products have been the core of Suunto throughout its history. The success of Suunto is based on its high quality products and consistent dedication to research and development. Since 2003, Suunto has also been in partnership with Microsoft. After one year of intensive research and development cooperation, Suunto introduced the Suunto n3, an advanced wristop computer that combines the quality and features that consumers have come to expect from Suunto with access to timely information, at a glance, provided by Microsoft’s MSN® Direct Service. In addition to the fruitful R&D cooperation that produced this fascinating new instrument, the partnership with Microsoft has opened tremendous opportunities for Suunto to communicate its brand and products to a larger audience.
Recent Developments In 2004, Suunto entered a new area of business by introducing Suunto t6, the first sports instrument in the world that really tells what kind of effect each training session has on the fitness. With the Suunto t6 it is now possible, for the first time, to measure the physiological training load to the body caused by the exercise, known as EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) outside laboratories. Quite surprisingly the accuracy of the training analysis is at the same level as when done in a laboratory using expensive instrumentation. Suunto’s Peripheral Observation Devices (POD’s) are developed for measuring, storing and transmitting data for different sports. These external sensors expand the functionality of the Suunto t6. The Suunto Foot Pod is a
speed and distance sensor for running using acceleration sensors that actually measure the 3-dimensional motion of each stride. Because the distance and speed are measured in this way and not, for example, by simply counting the step impulses, the measurement error is smaller than 1-2% from the true distance traveled. Thus, a 5 kilometer run would have a typical error of only a few tens of meters when measured with the Suunto Foot Pod. The Suunto Bike Pod turns Suunto t6 into a wireless bike computer offering the speed and distance data and correlating that with the physiological analysis of the Suunto t6. The PC Pod enables easy wireless data transfer between the Suunto t6 and a PC. The Suunto t6 and the PODs use the new ANT (Area Network Tiny) transmission technology that creates a basis for a low-power and efficient wireless sports area data network. The Suunto t6 Team Pack is a complete solution for situations where a trainer can manage the sports activities involving a group of athletes. The Suunto t6 Team Pack consists of ten Suunto t6 wristop computers and a team version of the Suunto Training Manager PC software. This helps to ensure that every team player is training at the optimal level of his/her capacity, elevating the team to its highest potential. Promotion Amer Sports and Suunto’s strategy is based on sports, leisure-time activities, and well-being. Suunto focuses on sports activities where advanced measurement technology, data processing and specific algorithms can create significant added value to the active participant. Rising standards of living, the greater leisure time people now enjoy, and their growing awareness of the importance of physical and mental well-being open up future growth potential for the sports equipment industry. Amer Sports intends on achieving its challenging goal and vision of becoming the No. 1 sports equipment company in the world through a consumer-focused product strategy, strong brands, innovative research and product development, first-class customer service, and an efficient supply chain. The Company cannot reach this goal through organic growth alone. Rather, it will participate in the ongoing consolidation of the industry by carrying out acquisitions. Its objective is to acquire companies that mesh with its chosen business strategy and strengthen the company as a whole. Amer Sports is dedicated to active lifestyles, sports and wellness. It believes that the right equipment is the key to making sports and physical exercise more fun, enjoyable and effective. The equipment it produces provides athletes at every level with the tools they need to get the best results and most enjoyment from their sports. At the core of its business is the passion for sports. In addition to this, the primary
drive is setting and achieving targets, moving beyond its limits both in life, business and technology, thereby enabling people to achieve their highest goals in sports and increase wellbeing in life. Brand Values Suunto’s values are guided by Amer Sports’ values, which guide all its employees around the world. Success in competition requires determination to win, team spirit, fair play and innovation. Suunto’s mission is to be the world’s most desired sports instrument brand. Amer Sports mission is to provide sports and fitness equipment that enables everyone from the enthusiastic beginner to the professional athlete to get the best results and most enjoyment from their sports. Things you didn’t know ABOUT… Suunto • Tuomas Vohlonen, the inventor of liquidfilled compass, used a powder box and a Vaseline jar for his first prototype compass. • In the 1950s a British commercial diver used a Suunto field compass during his dive and contacted Suunto with suggestions for further developments. The new business era of diving compasses began. • Today Suunto is world’s leading manufacturer of diving instruments. • In the early days marine compasses were filled with alcohol, and mysteriously, when the compasses arrived for routine service they were mostly found to be emptied of their contents • Lt. Ruben Norrback, Commander of Finnish Army Infantry Regiment No. 24, usually carried his compass in a map case. One morning he decided to place it in his left breast pocket to have it even closer at hand. A Russian sniper was hiding in a tall spruce; he chose his target, aimed and fired. Somebody immediately said, “That is the end of Norrback”. Lt. Norrback got up with only chest pains and bruising…the compass saved his life. www.suunto.com
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