JC: When there is a new concept how many models do you test before a board goes into production?
SW: This really varies. There are some boards that we have been working on and refining for a long time so you don’t need as many test boards. If you start with something new or typically on the race side of things, it can be a lot of boards. I can’t give exact numbers but sometimes development is quick and sometimes we have to make a lot of models before we get to the right one. That is when the brand manager gets nervous. I do the tweaks on the computer, a new model is made to test, we try it out and the process keeps going until we are happy. Sometimes a concept just doesn’t work no matter how much tweaking you do, so you have to restart. I don’t like it so much when that happens! You need to go back to the drawing board and rethink the whole thing.
“ Most of my work is on the computer. I don’t need to go to the shaping room anymore! ”
