![]() ![]() During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the company made their first and only foray in the commercial gym equipment market with their 9600 series. They also carry a full line of elliptical trainers and exercise bikes. NordicTrack treadmills are the top-selling brand worldwide. Since then, NordicTrack has thrived and the company continues to manufacture their classic skier, but this model is declining in popularity. In 1998, Icon Health & Fitness acquired NordicTrack. It closed its 300+ retail stores, and filed bankruptcy in 1998. Now a bloated multi-national, CML couldn't stay ahead of its spending. When competitors emerged and the market became over-saturated, CML (NordicTrack and its subsidiaries) could not sustain the debt incurred from expanding its retail division and marketing operations. Additionally, CML bought up a number of mom and pop startup companies during the 80s. CML opened retail stores nationally, focused marketing on infomercials, and even began manufacturing other exercise products that were in direct competition of the original NordicTrack. In 1986 NordicTrack was sold to CML Corporation (CMLK), which moved operations out of Chaska. Both companies grew and benefited from the daily truckloads of exercisers rolling out.Īround 1984 Ed and Flo decided that it was time to move on, as they were getting older and managing a new startup takes a whole different personality than managing a name-brand, multi-national corporation. In 1975 United Parcel Service changed from a limited-destination to a full national and international shipping company. The NordicTrack was shipped in two boxes and was designed to just squeak under the 40 pounds (18 kg) UPS weight limit. The 30-day returns dropped drastically after the video addition. This is why the ski machine has never sold well in stores people were embarrassed to fumble in public, whereas at home with the video, they mastered it in short order. The advent of disposable VHS tapes helped to teach and prove to the new owner that this thing worked. A NordicTrack ski machine takes the average person some time to learn like a bicycle, it takes balance and coordination to operate. The use of the new VHS video technology was pioneered as a way to show the new buyer during the 30-day trial period how to use this somewhat difficult machine unboxed at home. A UV-varnish conveyor line, full powder coat paint line, robotic welders, two level assembly lines, and a full printing operation and bulk mailing facility were added. As sales grew, more specialized automated procedures were brought in. ![]() From the start, the woodworking, varnishing, welding, machining, sewing, assembly, packaging, advertising, mailing and sales were all done in-house, mostly by local Chaska residents who were trained by NordicTrack for their specific jobs. The company later moved to an assembly line that could put out several thousand units a day. From the start, machines were built one at a time on special benches. In the new era of out-sourcing manufacturing (the 1980s), the Pauls family, having a mechanical background, chose to manufacture the machines in-house. The company was built and operated on the cash-and carry basis, and no money was ever borrowed during the Pauls' ownership from 1975 to 1986. The ads were different in that they were mostly script explaining the benefits of cardiovascular exercise, and usually a small picture of the machine being used. The sales concept was mail-order.Īds were placed in magazines, including Smithsonian, National Geographic, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal. The company was moved to the Jonathan industrial park in Chaska, where it first rented and later built a number of buildings for manufacturing, mail and phone sales, and warehousing. The product's name was changed to NordicTrack. Several of their first machines were branded "Nordic Jock", as their original market was anticipated to be college ski racers. At the time, the Pauls were making the Flip Ski (a crutch ski used by leg-handicapped downhill skiers) as a part-time mail order business in their basement. Ed Pauls was an engineer, usually got home after dark, and was motivated to beat his Swedish friend in the race. NordicTrack was founded by Edward and Florence Pauls in 1975, when Ed Pauls invented the original NordicTrack ski machine in his garage in Chaska, Minnesota, in an effort to train for the local VJC cross-country ski race. The company has been manufacturing exercise equipment since 1975. NordicTrack is owned and managed by iFIT Health & Fitness Inc. It is best known for its Nordic ski machines, low-impact exercisers, ellipticals, and incline trainers. ![]() NordicTrack is an American company that manufactures treadmills, strength training equipment, ellipticals, exercise bikes, and accessories. Treadmills, strength training equipment, ellipticals, exercise bikes, and accessories ![]()
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