supplier
profi le
arie van
winkelhof
The MD of gym80 International talks
to Kate Cracknell about quality over
quantity, going against the flow, and
developing innovative products
through strategic partnerships
Good vibrations The enforbike,
launched at FIBO this year, is said to be
the world’s first impulse training bike
When was the How has the company provide equipment that nobody else
company founded? evolved over the years? can offer. But ultimately the goal is to
The company was set up in 1980 in Essen, It started out as a strength training have a gym80-designed and built cardio
Germany, by Walter Herden and Peter equipment company, very body building line with SCIFIT cardio know-how
Förster. In 1976, Herden had started to and muscle-orientated, and that’s incorporated – the ‘Intel Inside’ sort
build strength equipment for his own still one area of our product offering. of approach. In fact, we already have
personal use – he was a passionate However, Sonja started to look at the frame construction for the fi rst
strength trainer and knew bodybuilder the company in a more holistic way. product, so that may even be launched
Ralph Moeller, who was friends with When I joined, we started working on by the end of this year.
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both We’re not going to say that all
men thought Herden’s kit was of a sudden we’re the experts in
fantastic, and encouraged him
COMPANY BY NUMBERS
cardiovascular equipment, but we
to develop the business. are the experts in manufacturing.
In 1990, Herden sold the Head office – Gelsenkirchen, Germany The gym80 cardio line will be a
company to Wolfgang Tillmann. Other offices – UK (wholly owned), plus premium product, and should be
Tillmann’s daughter, Sonja distributors in 42 other countries including Europe, different from what’s already out
Stromberg, became owner of Middle East, Korea, Japan and New Zealand in the market, because we won’t
the company in 1997, although Number of employees – More than 100 directly get into a quantitative business.
Tillmann kept running the employed by gym80
company until Sonja took over in What’s the company
2003. When I joined in January philosophy?
2005, I’d been in the industry for 30 strategic partnership concepts with Our business, as I say, is about quality,
years, most recently 14 years with Life companies that shared our values and not quantity. We don’t try and sell
Fitness. I’d known Tillmann for a long vision – small, family-owned businesses, customers as much as we can: we
time and I got to know Sonja better: so short lines of communication, able sell them what’s right for them. And
we’re now a family with a three-year- to move fast. By combining the expert the quality of our equipment means
old son. I also work for her – she’s my knowledge of a number of companies it lasts for years and barely needs
boss and owner of the company – and I in this way, we’re able to put a very servicing. And a lot of customers
manage the company together with Simal broad product offering on the table – agree that, if you blindfold somebody,
Yilmaz, who’s in charge of production. our strength products, but also cardio there’s a good chance they’ll recognise
and technology, for example – which a piece of gym80 equipment. It’s the
can be tailored to customers’ needs. feel – it’s like driving a Porsche.
We made an active decision to One of our main missions is to grow
continue as a family-run business, the pie, even as a small company like
manufacturing in Germany. We gym80. I think that’s what everybody in
know we won’t be the biggest in this industry should do – not necessarily
the world, but we want to be the try to take away business from others
best at what we do. We already but try and generate additional business,
have an excellent reputation in so the whole industry grows and
strength equipment and, through our attracts new people.
partnerships, we want to develop new
equipment that will allow us to become
Partnership The enforbike with its
Which sectors do
a leader in other areas too.
inventor Dieter Quarz – gym80 works
you operate in?
with inventors to develop new products
At the moment, for example, we We categorise our markets as fitness,
work with partners like SCIFIT to medical and high performance.
66 Read Health Club Management online august 2009 © cybertrek 2009
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
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