A Ball that Won't Deflate

Spalding has teamed up with a pair of ex-DuPont materials experts to create a basketball that keeps its bounce.

Spalding, the venerable sporting goods maker, pumped up basketball sales with the launch of its Infusion basketball in 2001. The new ball answered longstanding consumer complaints about balls that lose bounce and require frequent reinflation with the inconvenient pump and needle combo; the Infusion includes a micropump that players can use to add small amounts of air to slightly underinflated balls. When not deployed, the tiny contraption resided inside the ball -- with no ill effects on the Infusion's bounce, balance, or durability (see "Spalding: An Idea with Bounce," April 2005).

The research and development behind the Infusion ball cost Spalding far more than it was used to paying, but the megabucks investment paid off: Spalding's already industry-leading market share doubled, as it sold over 1 million units in the first year. And now, by working with two materials scientists who formed their own invention laboratory after leaving DuPont, Spalding is bringing out an advanced ball, called "Neverflat," that doesn't need blowing up at all -- at least for the first year after purchase.

The story is a case study in how big companies can gain access to a world of creative ideas by linking up with smaller shops -- and ­it shows how an idea can be turned into a product incredibly fast. Nine months ago, Neverflat was barely more than a Powerpoint presentation. Now it will be under Christmas trees just in a couple of weeks.

After Infusion's dramatic success in 2001, Spalding executives became convinced that investments in innovation could pay off, even in once-staid product categories such as inflatable balls, not just high-tech lines such as sports footwear, golf clubs, and skis. The Springfield, MA-based company (which was acquired by Russell Corp. in 2003) beefed up its internal market research and R&D capabilities, but also continually scanned the innovation landscape for new technologies.

"We are much less of a 'not invented here'-type of company than we ever have been," says Dan Touhey, Spalding's vice president of marketing and the originator of the Infusion concept. "We're just scouring anything, whether it's in our own backyard or printed materials. We listen to the chatter of what's going on in sporting goods and other industries."

In early 2005, a bit of that chatter reached Spalding president Scott Creelman. Primo Innovations, a nascent two-man outfit of former DuPont engineers, had stoked its tiny PR engine and announced a vision it was pursuing: Neverflat, a ball concept that would represent a tenfold increase in air retention over the best in the industry.

"When we pulled the trigger on PR, we had a technology and a brand name -- but no prototype," says Don Sandusky, who now runs Primo along with fellow materials scientist Michael O'Neill. What the startup company did have was a successful product in a related arena. Primo had developed an inner tube for cycling-gear maker Bell Sports that dramatically increased a bicycle tires' ability to hold air. "Your kid will probably outgrow the bike before you have to pump the tires," boasts Sandusky.