I am encouraged by the purchase of the Columbia bowling assets by Ebonite, as shocking on the surface as it may seem. Ebonite while I generally don't match up with some of their ONE oil absorbing mainstream products, the newer nv and tamer issues have my interest up. Hammer products are very innovative also.
Ebonite is very good with communication, be it web page education, seminars, and demonstrations, technology, and company direction. Something that in many cases was very lacking with the Columbia Umbrella of Ball companies.
The Industry still needs more consolidation in this area. The Track name, in particular, has always raised interest; very good bowling ball company name. Columbia 300 also - a very good, strong name. Whether they hang onto those assets or incorporate some of the technologies into the Ebonite products, only time will tell.
I would think that Ebonite will be selling some of the bowling assets in the coming year, and garnering the best. Ebonite has been around along time - and can see the writing on the wall and getting ready for the next cycle of bowling.
IMHO, it levels the playing field to the big three and few smaller homespun grassroots companies. In business, it seems that 2 or 3 major competitors make the capitalist free enterprise market work more efficiently. There was simply too much pork on the market - just like the food supermaket industry today. Consolidation, necessary - only the best will survive; it will be more efficient and better for the bowler in the long run.
--------------------
K`` K ``X ``````X
K` K `` ``X```X
KK ```` ``` X
K` K `` ``X`` X
K `` K` X ````` X
RADs Blog Edited on 2/11/2007 12:17 PM
