Manufacturing
Amer Sports’ most important own production facilities are located in Bulgaria, Austria, France, Finland, Canada and the United States. In addition, Amer Sports owns all of the manufacturing assets such as tools, molds, IT, etc. except the buildings and labor forces of six plants located in Eastern Europe.
Amer Sports purchases the raw materials that it requires from a number of sources. The most common raw materials are steel, rubber, aluminum, oil-based raw materials and components, and wood. These raw materials are used to manufacture plastic components for bindings, ski boots and sports instruments, and the metal parts used in fitness equipment, binding components and ski edges, apparel, bats and cycling components.
Quality control
Quality specifications and quality assurance are of prime importance to Amer Sports production processes. Products are subjected to quality control tests prior to production and also before products are sold to customers. Quality control tests are also performed during the production processes to ensure that the items meet the Group’s quality requirements. In general, quality control is handled by Amer Sports’ own quality control personnel who perform extensive testing and inspection procedures.
The Group also requires its third-party suppliers to arrange specific tests to be performed at each manufacturing site. In Asia, the company’s sourcing office outsourced production to close supervision to ensure that all products and components meet the specifications and quality control standards of the respective brand. Should items be returned or recalled, the products involved are analyzed and investigated, and Amer Sports liaises with third party suppliers to ensure that related problems do not subsequently occur. In most countries in which Amer Sports operates, the Group companies provide product warranties based on local legislation. The scope and terms of each warranty varies in different geographic markets and product categories. Suunto has an ISO 9001 certified Quality Management system.