A Success Story of Bavarian Ingenuity
What do international top competitors, hobby athletes, therapy patients, and bright kids have in common? They all train or play with air-filled fitness equipment by TOGU. Experienced medical professionals, sports scientists and trainers have long since become committed advocates of the highly efficient and innovative products developed in the creative workshop at home in Upper Bavaria. The worldwide success of these products is in part based on the strong regional roots of the company. TOGU has its path all mapped out – and not just in terms of their extensive product portfolio, but primarily with regard to the company’s sense of responsibility. Tradition at their back – and a firm grasp of the future.
“50 years and no sign of slowing down” – TOGU’s motto summarises the company’s history perfectly. The power of innovation and creativity have been the enterprise’s greatest asset since it was founded in 1956. More than half a century, numerous registered trademarks and countless patents later, TOGU employees are still driven by an unquenchable thirst for new ideas.
Innovation based on tradition
The family-run company was once again recognised in 2009 for their unrelenting pioneer spirit. The pro-K Association (Industrieverband Halbzeuge und Konsumprodukte aus Kunststoff e.V) named TOGU Jumper the “Product of the Year” in the category for medical and health products. Dr. Gerrit Sommer, team physician of the German snowboard national team, voices his enthusiasm about the innovative product: “The TOGU Jumper is a real winner and an excellent fitness product. It is most definitely the best product of its kind in terms of functionality, versatility, and safety. From a sports medicine standpoint, it is an excellent tool for the prevention and rehabilitation of ankle, knee, and hip joint injuries, as well as for proprioceptive training in popular and professional sports.” Uwe Veronik, Head of the Müller-Wohlfahrt Orthopedic Center for Physiotherapy in Munich, is convinced: “The Jumper has become an essential tool in functional therapy sessions.” The extensive portfolio of air-filled fitness equipment offered by TOGU ranges from the Jumper highlighted here, to the Dynair Ballkissen sold over a million times to date, and the traditional large Powerball – each of the products represents the boundless creativity of its maker. All products are designed primarily for the enhancement and maintenance of the health and well-being of the user.
Important factors for all products are the successful stabilisation of torso muscles, efficient full-body training, and the improvement of sensorimotor coordination. From 1956 to this day – TOGU ideas and developments are one and all award candidates, as they help users take a more active approach towards personal health.
Comprehensive solutions for everyone
The current managing directors Toni Obermaier and his cousin Guido are both sons of the company’s founders, and closely follow in their footsteps: Their particular penchant is the development and implementation of new ideas. The company cooperates closely with a competent network of professionals hailing from the sports and medical sectors. Doctors, therapists, sports scientists, and personal trainers are not just fully involved in the product development process – they also create practical training programmes for these products. This means that TOGU is not limited to simply the sale of its products: it offers its customers a useful “How To” guide to optimise each product’s benefits. Back pain prevention, Pilates, pelvic floor strengthening, or dynamic full-body training – experts in these and more fields compile easy to follow exercise regimes for each product. Sven Kruse, who in his capacity as sports physiotherapist for the German Olympic Association (DOSB), looks after world and Olympic champions, praises the quality of these programs: “I have been using TOGU training and therapy equipment successfully for many years. I use the customised training concepts provided by TOGU in my sessions with internationally top-rated athletes, and the results are always brilliant.”
Accepting responsibility – for people and for the environment
Despite its long and successful history, TOGU is bound by more than just tradition: the company feels a keen responsibility towards its employees and the region. TOGU’s sole manufacturing facility is in Prien, a small town at Lake Chiemsee in Upper Bavaria. Traditionally, the company has offered secure employment for over 100 locals – and that in an industry sector increasingly relying on cheap manufacture from low-wage countries. “The only way for us to respond to customer wishes quickly, while maintaining excellent product quality and environmental standards, is for us to keep our manufacturing processes local. All our new ideas become reality right here, we forego shipping and logistics,” is the pragmatic explanation offered by Toni Obermaier. But that is not all: the majority of the production machinery used at the 16,000 square metre facility is designed in-house and built in the region.
The conscious decision in favour of remaining an exclusively Germany-based company allows TOGU to comply with the required high environmental standards. All materials and plastics used in the manufacture of TOGU products are recyclable. The excellent quality of the products and their resulting longevity help conserve natural resources and reduce the company’s carbon footprint. And if – against all odds – a ball cushion should loose its plumpness, then customers can simply return it to TOGU for recycling. Because TOGU gladly shoulders responsibility – first and foremost for its products “Made in Germany.”
