Two years ago, for example, Jim Bennett and several other K2 employees benchmarked the compact-disc industry, and came away intrigued by the use of ultraviolet inks to print designs on CDs. Today, K2 is the only manufacturer that uses UV inks instead of solvent-based printing in the manufacture of skis and snowboards. K2 borrowed Piezo technology from the military and aerospace industries, where it is used to reduce vibration in airplane wings, and developed antivibration computer chips for its skis and snowboards. On the Vashon Island manufacturing floor, you'll find employees who worked previously in the aerospace, chemical, textile, and automotive industries. Good ideas for change in the ski industry aren't found just in the ski industry.
Good ideas are everywhere.