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Concept2’s Rowing Oars to be used in the Rio Olympics

Did you know that many of the rowing oars that will be used in the upcoming Rio Olympics are going to be ones manufactured by abas ERP customer, Concept2? Although specific numbers won’t be available until after the Games, if past events are a gauge, the majority of medalists from around the world will be competing with Concept2 oars. How can you tell if it’s a Concept2 oar? If the sleeve, the part of the oar that connects with the oarlock on the boat, is bright green, it’s a Concept2 oar!

In the 2008 Beijing Olympic games, 64% of all Olympic rowing medalists raced with Concept2 oars. In London, in 2012, that number was 69%, with 64% of gold medalists using Concept2 oars.

 

 

 

In the 2012 London Olympic Games, 69% of Olympic rowing medalists used Concept 2 oars, including 64% of the gold medalists

 

Concept2 was founded in 1976 by Peter and Dick Dreissigacker. At the time, wooden oars were still being used for rowing. The Dreissigacker’s began experimenting with carbon and fiberglass oar construction to create oars that were durable, efficient and of a higher quality.

The first time Concept2 oars were used in elite racing was the 1977 World Championships by the U.S. Women’s Pair. By 1990, many crews worldwide were using Concept2 oars. The original “hatchet” blade—a more efficient blade design with a bigger shovel for moving water—called the Concept2 Big Blade was used prominently at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Concept2 oars are unique, as the athlete can make customizations to many parts of the oar from how they’re built down to the color of the blade. This allows Concept2 to offer a product that meets the athlete’s specific needs, however unique those needs may be. Design changes endure rigorous testing to ensure that proposed new features are adding to the efficiency of the oar.

Concept2 went live with abas ERP in April of 2016, and is already seeing improvements in the connectivity between their US and U.K. businesses. They were also able to transfer many of their offline systems, including MPS and inventory management, into abas, increasing their process efficiency.

How can you tell if it’s a Concept2 oar? If the sleeve is bright green, it’s a Concept2 oar!

When searching for a new software, Concept2 was looking for a solution that could handle configurable parts and be customized to fit their specific manufacturing needs. They were also focused on finding a company they could form a strong partnership with.

“From the abas USA employees we’ve worked with, there is a sense of ownership of wanting the customer, the customer’s business, and the abas USA business itself to succeed, and that’s a very familiar sentiment for us at Concept2.” said Cheri Giroux, web developer /abas system admin at Concept2.

abas is an innovator of ERP solutions for mid-size business aspiring to be leaders in their industries. We use our 30+ years of experience to deliver exactly what our customers need – software that is agile, intuitive, sustainable for the long term, and that works anywhere around the world.

Find out more about abas ERP on the web at http://www.abas-ERP.com, on twitter at abas USA, or on Facebook at abas-USA. Find out more about Concept2 at http://www.concept2.com/

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