Late in 2009 ProForm announced its treadmill line for 2010. Designating the year this way appears to be a first for the exercise equipment industry. Automobile manufacturers have always specified the year of its new models. Skeptics would say that specifying the year is simply to drum up more desire for the “latest” model. This may be true, but with exercise equipment, what happens when the new equipment is no longer new? Won’t it be much more difficult to sell? What are they thinking?

First, some background. ProForm has introduced hundreds of models over the years. Many of these models have little to distinguish one from another. Shoppers have often gotten frustrated trying to determine the differences, when the primary difference may merely be a different name or model number. These similarities allow manufacturers to test market names, model numbers, and other features. It also means that an old model doesn’t become “dated.” This sounds like good business, so why has ProForm broke with tradition and called their new model s the “New 2010 Model?”

ProForm treadmills have sometimes been criticized for their quality. Apparently, ProForm has heard this criticism because their 2010 line shows substantial improvement in most features. ProForm has been the best-selling home treadmill for years, so they must have been doing something right all along. However, their new line has not a cheap one in the bunch. They have bigger motors, bigger belts, higher weigh capacities, and longer warranties. The price tags are also bigger, but not by much. Their strategy seems to be to produce fewer and better models. The 2010 models also introduce iFit Live, the optional ability to connect to the Internet and run races with your Facebook friends along “actual” routes shown on your screen. This advanced technology will not appeal to all, but it suggests that ProForm is trying to gain the technological lead.

ProForm seems to have gotten to number one by figuring out who the typical user is. If the typical user weight less than 250 lbs, wants to jog lightly for a half an hour to an hour a few times a week, and not spend a lot of money, ProForms have been  a very popular way to go. It appears ProForm intends to change its image from cheap and popular to high quality and popular. This could poach some business from the next quality level up, treadmills that sell for around $1,000, and expand the ProForm range from basic to higher quality.

Another possible reason ProForm has put a year on their models is new manufacturing methods. Most ProForms are assembled in the United States. Manufacturing in the U.S. has undergone dramatic challenges of the past several years. Those manufacturing companies that have survived have had to adapt and to streamline their processes as much as possible. One of the ways to do this is through “just in time” inventory management. The old way was to fill a warehouse with product and then try to sell it. This is expensive. However, the trend is to carefully gauge demand and manufacture only as many units as can be sold within a few days. Lean and mean! The reason automobile manufacturers can label their models with the year is because when the year is over, those models won’t be made any more! It appears ProForm is dragging the exercise equipment industry up to that level of lean.