Just thought some people might be interested to know where the name of the company came from. https://www.flyozone.com/paramotor/kr/products/ozone-reflex-profile/
Something else worth mentioning too, and what makes Ozone so starkly different to most of the brands out there especially some of the bigger ones.
Private Equity groups and Venture Capitalist consortiums are the real owners of most of the big brands, these groups invest or gamble with their own and other peoples money, in the hope of on-selling the company/brand and making a large capital gain. Many of these companies provide credit to dealers, and encourage them to place large orders to qualify for the extended credit. The results are that all the larger dealers are hooked on this credit (debt) and that's why the larger brands dominate the shelf space in retail around the world.
Ozone is privately owned, by 3 British guys, David Pilkington, Mike Cavanagh, and Matt Taggart. Rob Whittall Ozone's head kite and wing designer was also a founding owner, left for a while, but then came back around 2007 and has been with Ozone ever since. The company manufactures under the Just In Time JIT business model. Dealers place orders via a business to business B2B website, then each order is split into all its components and each item is manufactured to fill each dealer order. There is no stockpile of inventory, there are never any closeouts due to production overruns and poor forecasting. Before each order leaves the Ozone factory in Vietnam, it must be paid for by the ordering dealer, so there is no credit and no debt behind Ozone. Everyone who works for Ozone, or who supplies Ozone, is paid on time because the money is already there.
All of the people involved in the management of Ozone are passionate and involved with the companies products, they have built a flexible and efficient business with industry-leading cash flow, run to a proven budget by Global GM Iain Hannay and his team in Barcelona, Spain. I've been involved with Ozone since 2003 as the Australian distributor and brand manager, back then Ozone had only just started making land based foil kites, but the quality and performance of them were amazing, and being a wind junkie and recognizing the same passion in Ozone we have worked together ever since.
Cya and
Goodwinds
Steve McCormack
Nice bit of sly marketing - and a bit of needling at the North/Duotone saga.
A year into foiling, I've ordered one of your Hyperlink foil kites after being a long-term buyer of another maker who, strangely, has yet to branch into foil kites.
I'm hoping it's here in Perth in time for my birthday on Saturday ..;)
But what I really want to know is are you moving from uN Zud to the US of A, and why? There is more than a rumour.
I've flown with the members of the ozone design team on occasions. They are indeed a passionate bunch of dudes, very skilled at kiting in there own right,
The kites are generally good. I'm still flying them primarily because my buddy sells them. I don't always agree with the direction they take on their kites, But i'm just one weird dude not following the general trends. So it makes sense that what I want might not be what the current market wants.