Several factors influence a gym’s success or failure — staff, programming, facilities and of course, equipment. The equipment you choose to fill your gym with has a huge impact on how members perceive your club.
But with a wide variety of equipment manufacturers, it can be hard to decide which equipment is ideal for your facility. In order to help, we have highlighted a few companies that strive to incorporate the newest technology, unique innovations and great service into their equipment offerings.
Life Fitness
Life Fitness’ mission is to provide facility owners and managers with a diverse offering of fitness solutions, customizable options and technological advancements that make fitness facilities stand out and thrive.
In order to deliver the best quality machinery, the equipment company makes user feedback a priority. “We are continuously seeking feedback and are highly attuned to our customers’ needs and wants,” said Lauren Pratt, a spokesperson for Life Fitness. “Equipped with this information, we address our customer pain points to help them successfully run their business.”
With more than 40 years in the industry it has established a reputation for providing durable products. Contributing to its reliability is the company’s extensive testing process.
“We test beyond industry requirements and to the highest standards globally to make sure our products meet and exceed the quality expectations of customers and exercisers,” said Pratt. “Through our unmatched testing process, we are able to ensure our customers receive high quality products that will withstand the daily continuous use of exercisers.”
Matrix
“Believe in Better” is more than just a marketing campaign. According to Ashley Haberman, the assistant marketing manager for commercial at Johnson Health Tech, which owns Matrix Fitness, the saying has become a mantra for all who work at the company.
“By continuing to strive for better solutions, we’ve developed equipment that has pushed the boundaries of technology and design,” stated Haberman.
With high-tech options such as the Matrix 7xi, a plethora of cardio and strength equipment and programming, buyers are guaranteed to have many options to choose from. “We have a portfolio of over 400 products,” said Haberman. “Matrix can offer solutions to meet any facility’s needs.”
Haberman explained that instead of making assumptions about what the industry wants, the company begins by listening to what the industry needs.
“Matrix is in a position to offer integrated solutions that make it easier to own, service and maintain our products,” added Haberman. “As a total-solutions partner, our service-driven process is designed to deliver the best experience for all key stakeholders for the lifetime of our equipment.”
Precor
There is a reason Precor stands for Precision Corporation. The company keeps both the needs of the exerciser and club operator in mind when constructing each piece of equipment. With durable, convenient, functional equipment and extensive education programs, it is no wonder why Precor is a leader in equipment.
“Our products are highly reliable and we have incredible product quality,” said Adam Hubbard, the director of product management at Precor. “We also have really innovative motions and want products that are well designed and executed.”
Each piece of equipment is designed with the end user in mind. One example of this is the Precor Coaching Center and AMT Team Fit, which ensures the user understands how to take advantage of all the machine’s capabilities.
“With AMT Team Fit a coach leads the exerciser through a 30-minute class,” explained Hubbard. “The coach is off the equipment and they are walking around each participant, coaching them through speed changes, resistance changes, different exercises, both on and off the equipment.”
For club operators, Precor provides a high level of service. “Response times to service issues are extremely fast, we always have parts in stock and we have really thorough training for service technicians,” said Hubbard. “It is one thing to have a warranty, it is another to deliver on that. We don’t want to give equipment to the operators and force them to figure it out on their own. We want to give them tools to allow them to be more successful.”
Star Trac
What makes Star Trac unique is its emphasis on design. Working in conjunction with Design Works USA, a BMW design-consulting firm, the company has outlined the “rules” for ensuring satisfaction in the eyes of the customer.
“Our design platform focuses on five key components that must be achieved in the eyes of the end user,” said Jeff Dilts, the vice president of product management. “These words are: distinctive, approachable, intuitive, motivation and rewarding. The simple result of these rules is the design must capture the attention of the consumers, be approachable and non-intimidating, easy to use, and yield [an] outcome the user anticipates.”
Star Trac leverages customer and partner feedback in order to gain insights on trends and tools to make sure it is giving the best possible quality and service. “Spending time with our customers and partners is what makes all the difference in the world,” explained Dilts. “They are often our most valuable eyes and ears to what will grow and benefit our business most.”
According to Dilts, Star Trac’s products make sense to the facility operator with solid quality, easy serviceability and asset management tools to ensure the longevity of their investment. The company is also dedicated to helping members reach their fitness goals.
“As a manufacturer we can’t claim to bring clients into our customer’s facilities, but we can claim to engage them and drive their success, which reflects directly on the facility,” added Dilts.
Technogym
Technogym constantly strives to stay on the cutting edge. Featuring the latest technology and unique innovations, its equipment and programs are sure to engage each club owner and member.
“We have invested decades of research into our technology — such as the mywellness cloud and open technology platform — that allows us to collect all the information from users’ workouts via third-party apps, devices and Technogym equipment into one easy-to-access place,” said Ed Hulit, the content and education manager at Technogym.
According to Hulit, through the mywellness cloud club owners have access to a wealth of data that enables them to further engage with their clients in very targeted ways. For instance, they can create personalized workout programs specific to each member’s health goals, or workout challenges where members can see their results on a leader-board and compete with others.
“Our platform helps with member assessment, programming, coaching and engagement in many different ways and this service has helped many facilities worldwide to really get to the core of what their members want from their workouts,” explained Hulit.
By Emily Harbourne
