Henri Patty hits the nail(s) on the head!

A few days ago, I was talking with my friend Henri Patty about the ever-struggling ski industry and in particular its ski equipment manufacturers now faced with a double-whammy: A world-wide recession that might erode an otherwise upbeat snow season in the Alps, the continued shift from retail sales into rental transactions and the dwindling number of units it represents. We were also talking about some major companies; Amer, with Atomic and Salomon, Mont-Blanc & Chartreuse with Rossignol and Dynastar and Jarden with K2 and Völkl. These holding companies are faced with the insane mission to driving two brands with similar management and infrastructure, placing them in the same predicament as General Motor with Chevrolet and Pontiac or Ford with Lincoln and Mercury. Under those circumstances, stress is king; further, issues like which one gets the best product, “top-dog” positioning or quite simply, which entity is likely to survive, are the daily fabric of that Gordian knot. To illustrate the absurdity of attempting to resolve these conflicting assignments, Henri used the picturesque analogy of driving with a hammer two nails in just one blow; a daunting task indeed!