Automaton founder, Brenton Woo, talks about the state of the industry and the future of snowboarding in a brief interview first published here on Transworld Business.

10/11 Snowboard Preview

How do you see the hardgoods marketplace evolving next year?
Clearly everyone is going to be keeping a close eye when it comes to production. If we’re all doing our jobs right, overstock will be kept at a minimum in the future.

What are the biggest changes you’ve made to your hardgoods business model in the last year?
Automaton’s biggest changes aren’t really in terms of the business model as it is with the relationships with our distributors. I’m all about Kaizen which can be defined as “constant improvement” and I apply this to Automaton’s operations. We’re constantly streamlining and making sure we’re on top of our numbers before speculating on product extensions.

What opportunities do you see for hardgoods sales?
I think that product differentiation is fairly poor in the snowboard industry, making it the area for the most opportunity. One brand does something different and if it looks like it might be popular, everyone else jumps on it. SUV sales took off in the 90’s, but we didn’t see Ferrari change their line up. I see room for all the hardgoods brands to stake their sales, but I think we have to stop crowding each other first and then expand in different directions. This is what happened in computers. Before 1997, PC’s were all-business machines. If you weren’t doing work you pretty much didn’t have a reason to buy a computer. Apple was the first to make computers relevant to non-business users. Apple now sells a lot of computers by and because they expanded the market. The point is that there’s room for everyone.

What are price points doing?
I’m not a fan of raising prices, but it’s an inevitable market force. I don’t think expensive snowboards are really doing anyone any favors. For Automaton, 10/11 decks will average retail at $410.

What are the biggest forces shaping the changes and developments you’ve made to your boards?
Snowboarding! The future of snowboarding is the freestyle mentality: having fun, exploring all terrain, and trying new antics. Snowboarding is based on being young, creative, and different. Snowboarders understand this, and tend to shred accordingly. Automaton snowboards are designed for this kind of approach to snow. Our 10/11 line is our best yet offering of freestyle snowboards. For 10/11, we’ve gone through a major hardware retooling, and every single board in our line has been updated and refined.

What’s your philosophy on camber these days?
If it works for someone, then it’s good for them. The qualities of certain board traits like camber are really up to personal preference. We know regular camber works and works well.

Any new materials or construction technologies?
We’re backing the proven formula: full-length poplar/beech wood cores, sandwich sidewalls, full-wrap edges, radial sidecuts, and wide stances centered on the effective edge. These elements are proven year after year and we’re confident in their performance. Automaton’s 10/11 changes are focused on board design rather than ingredients.

What themes are you seeing for graphics?
Automaton is all about complementary elements and bringing opposites to coexist together. Our theme for 10/11 is “Now With More Betterness!”, and our art supports that theme.

Manimal: Alex Funderburk (thesacredbeastart.blogspot.com). Alex is born and bred in Orange County, California in the heart of Southern California. He’s the visionary behind the eye-catching 09/10 Time Fighter graphics. The Manimal is a board that likes to be shredded hard, and Alex’s art matches that personality.

Babble: Eve Duhamel (www.eveduhamel.com). Eve splits her time between French-Canada and Berlin. She’s the first female artist we’ve worked with over an entire series, and her unique style and multi-mediums made the Babble a great board graphic that reflects the relaxed attitude of the Babble snowboard.

What market segment are you focusing on?
Automaton is about the freestyle segment because freestyle is the future of snowboarding. This is the category that is showing the most progression and it’s exciting. But the truth behind the consumer/brand relationship is that you can’t control the consumer. Whoever likes or dislikes your stuff is right in their own way. So even though Automaton focuses on snowboarders with the freestyle mindset, we’ve found that our customer base consists of several demographics. The first is the young everyday shred, which happens to be the wet dream segment of every company that calls themselves “core”. Shreds understand what Automaton’s about, some of them like it, and some of those will pay for it. The other segment is the more mature, refined shred: the 24-32 year old audience who really relates to Automaton’s brand message and art. The last segment are the straight up art collectors. We often get contacted by people looking for boards from past seasons solely because they like the graphics.