“Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They expect you to fix things when they go wrong.”
— Donald Porter, Former Vice President, British Airways
While commercial athletic equipment manufacturing operates in a very different space than the aviation industry, the core principle remains identical: trust is earned by how a company responds when an issue arises.
At Bison Inc., structural engineering precision and rigorous safety testing are foundational to every product line. While field failures on Bison equipment are exceedingly rare—even on systems installed over a decade ago—how a manufacturer handles an edge-case failure defines its true commitment to safety and customer service.
Case Study: Diagnosing a Legacy Component Issue
A recent real-world event highlighted Bison's proactive approach to quality assurance and continuous product improvement.
In late spring, a homeowner in West Virginia reached out to a local Bison dealer regarding a residential basketball system originally installed over 10 years ago. While adjusting the system's height-adjustment crank, an internal mechanical stop failed, causing the crank assembly to disengage just below the official 10-foot rim height.
Rather than dismissing the issue as standard wear-and-tear on a decade-old system, Bison immediately escalated the inquiry to executive and engineering leadership.
The Immediate Action Plan:
- Executive Oversight: Bison CEO Nick Cusick personally joined the engineering review to evaluate the component failure.
- Engineering Redesign: Bison’s engineering department conducted a rapid Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and immediately redesigned the crank stop mechanism to eliminate the potential for future disengagement.
- Express Replacement: A modified, re-engineered replacement crank was manufactured and shipped via express freight to the customer within two weeks—getting his high-school-bound son back on the court in time for tryout preparations.
- Proactive Safety Notice & Recall: Even though no other failures had been reported nationwide, Bison identified all customers who had previously received that specific style of replacement crank, mailed official safety notices, and shipped upgraded replacement components free of charge.
- Forensic Inspection: The customer returned the failed component to Bison’s Lincoln, Nebraska headquarters for full laboratory inspection and destructive testing.
The Impact of Direct Manufacturer Support
The West Virginia customer shared his gratitude directly with the Bison team after receiving the newly engineered replacement part:
"This is great timing—my son’s high school freshman basketball practice starts tonight. We had been shooting on a temporary freestanding hoop in the interim. I can’t thank you enough for your attention to this. I hate that it happened, but I am very appreciative of the response from you and the company."
Why Quality Engineering and Live Support Matter
In today's marketplace, many buyers are tempted by low-cost, imported athletic equipment sourced through discount online retailers. However, when imported hardware fails, customers are often left with non-existent warranties, disconnected customer service channels, and no replacement parts.
Since launching its first product line in 1985, Bison has maintained a different standard:
- Long-Term Parts Availability: Supporting systems long after their initial installation date.
- In-House Engineering: The capacity to re-engineer, test, and manufacture solution-driven parts in real time.
- Accessible American Support: Direct phone, email, and live technical assistance from real product specialists in Nebraska.
When sports equipment impacts athlete safety and facility operation, who stands behind the product matters. Bison remains committed to manufacturing safety-first equipment—and standing by every system that bears our name.
To speak with a product specialist or inquire about submittals, replacement parts, and structural warranties, visit bisoninc.com or call 1-800-247-7668.