Companies that mystify me, Vol. 1: AMF
I am going to start a series of blog posts about companies and/or brands that hold some sort of place in my mind. Some hold a special place, and some just a place.
Recently, I had dinner in Philly with my business partner Greg Storey. As the martinis and meritage chasers flowed, we ended up discussing random topics, as is the norm. The AMF company came up. I'm sure I'm the one who brought it up, but I can't recall what the context was. After talking about the company for 10 minutes, I told Greg I was going to write a blog post about AMF. Here it is.
- Company: AMF. 'American Machine and Foundry' prior to 1971.
- Founded: 1900 by Moorehead Patterson (sweet name, Moorehead)
I'll preface this article by saying that the thing that is perhaps most intriguing about AMF is the fact that they were dabbling in tons of stuff, and all of it seemed totally unrelated. It's kind of like Richard Branson, who ran Virgin Records and then decided, 'Hey, I'll start an airline'. No subject matter expertise whatsoever. Just get up and go.
Bowling!
My first exposure to this ubiquitous brand was as a kid at birthday parties. My mom would take us bowling. Aside from being mesmerized by the fact that I could only bowl a 34, what mesmerized me was the complex machinery that knocked the pins down, set them back up, magically returned the ball (under the floor!), and even blew air on my hands so I could bowl sweat-free. The whole thing was badass. The score sheets that were projected onto screens by overhead projectors. The gates that came down and swept the pins away. The giant X that lit up with every strike, and the 'Magic Triangle Pindicator Signaling Unit' (see below). It was seriousy too much to take in.
Some kids have that kind of early brand affinity with, say, McDonald's. I loved shit like AMF.
Various balls, rubbery items and sporting goods.
Later in my childhood, I started seeing the AMF logo pop up in gym class, embossed on basketballs and volleyballs. Remember Voit? Voit was also an AMF brand, which was created when they bought W. J. Voit Rubber Corp. Another AMF brand was Head. Head made tennis rackets, golf clubs, skis, and other sporting equipment.
Monorails!
AMF was responsible for the monorail at the 1964 World's Fair in New York. If you've been to the National Tennis Center, LaGuardia Airport or Citi Field in Queens, you know where this was (and parts of it still are). What was it with World's Fairs and monorails? Aside from Disney World and the Seattle monorail (which was also built for a World's Fair), I've never been on a monorial that is the centerpriece of a modern metropolitan transit system. These photos are pretty cool though, taken from postcards from the Fair. It's all so hopeful and exciting.
Harleys!
AMF also owned Harley-Davidson from 1969-1981. You can still spot the AMF Harleys on the road today. Most of the ones I've seen have been the big road bikes that look more like cars.
You might even be able to spot an old AMF Harley-Davidson golf cart. Those were the sweet ones with one front wheel and only a bar to steer with. Who thought that was a good idea?
Nukes!
This factoid is crazy: in the late 50s and early 60s AMF ran neck-and-neck with General Dynamics in the construction of nuclear power reactors. AMF sold Pakistan and Iran their first nuclear reactors.
Thanks, AMF.
Random!
Some other AMF brands included:
- Vitamaster exercise equipment
- Roadmaster bicycles
- Ben Hogan golf clubs
- SlickCraft powerboats
- Alcort sailboats (including the Sunfish)
- Hatteras yachts
- Dewalt tools
- Atlas recreational vehicles
AMF also manufactured gymnastics equipment. I remember trampolines and balance beams with the AMF logo on them. The gymnastics division was eventually spun off to form American Athletic (AAI) which used essentially the same logo as AMF but with different text:
I love it when stuff like that happens. Kind of like when this happens:
AMF, where are you?
So where is AMF now? Well, it didn't really go about things too smartly. According to that there Wikipedia:
By the late 1970s, the company had fallen on hard times. The absence of stable management (the company had seven presidents between 1972 and 1982), aging production facilities, rising labor costs, and the inability of AMF to efficiently operate and control its numerous corporate product divisions from its headquarters in White Plains, New York, contributed to a steady decline in sales and profits. Unlike large Japanese corporations such as Matsushita Electric Industrial, which had a standing corporate policy of discontinuing any product line or division in which they were not able to stay in first or second place in total market sales, AMF had continued a practice of purchasing new companies in unfamiliar markets, while simultaneously failing to reorganize and modernize its core operations.
In June of 1985, AMF was acquired for $563.8 million. It was the object of a hostile takeover bid from corporate raider Irwin L. Jacob's Minstar, Inc.
Just about the only thing left of the AMF name is is the AMF Bowling, which is the world's largest owner and operator of bowling centers. AMF Bowling Products and Italian-based Qubica Worldwide, a developer of bowling technology and equipment, announced a partnership now called QubicaAMF.
North Bowl here in Philadelphia runs on the QubicaAMF equipment. I know that because I made a point to find out.
Nerd.
