When I meet with cities and schools to discuss play equipment, I try to initiate a conversation about “the ownership proposition.” What do I mean by that? I mean the shared vision of what owning play equipment should look like over the life of the installation, not simply the initial purchase price. Isn’t that really the measure of performance?
How long will the play equipment last? What will it cost to maintain? How easy and quickly can parts be accessed from the factory? Can structures be easily modified or retrofitted if safety standards change? This is an approach to purchasing analysis known as life costing and is a sound technique for thousands of products, but especially when capital budgets are strained.
At Ross Recreation, we think the ownership proposition should look like this:
1. Expect playstructures to last over twenty years with minimal maintenance cost and strong warranties.
2. Expect the manufacturer’s representative to be well established with a track record of responsiveness and superior customer care.
3. Expect that your equipment can be easily retrofitted and parts made available even after many years of service.
That is the ownership proposition that we at Ross Recreation are prepared to offer you.
By Ewing Philbin