Just thought some people might be interested to know where the name of the company came from.

https://www.flyozone.com/paramotor/kr/products/ozone-reflex-profile/

Something else worth mentioning too, and what makes Ozone so starkly different to most of the brands out there especially some of the bigger ones.
Private Equity groups and Venture Capitalist consortiums are the real owners of most of the big brands, these groups invest or gamble with their own and other peoples money, in the hope of on-selling the company/brand and making a large capital gain. Many of these companies provide credit to dealers, and encourage them to place large orders to qualify for the extended credit. The results are that all the larger dealers are hooked on this credit (debt) and that's why the larger brands dominate the shelf space in retail around the world.

Ozone is privately owned, by 3 British guys, David Pilkington, Mike Cavanagh, and Matt Taggart. Rob Whittall Ozone's head kite and wing designer was also a founding owner, left for a while, but then came back around 2007 and has been with Ozone ever since. The company manufactures under the Just In Time JIT business model. Dealers place orders via a business to business B2B website, then each order is split into all its components and each item is manufactured to fill each dealer order. There is no stockpile of inventory, there are never any closeouts due to production overruns and poor forecasting. Before each order leaves the Ozone factory in Vietnam, it must be paid for by the ordering dealer, so there is no credit and no debt behind Ozone. Everyone who works for Ozone, or who supplies Ozone, is paid on time because the money is already there.
All of the people involved in the management of Ozone are passionate and involved with the companies products, they have built a flexible and efficient business with industry-leading cash flow, run to a proven budget by Global GM Iain Hannay and his team in Barcelona, Spain. I've been involved with Ozone since 2003 as the Australian distributor and brand manager, back then Ozone had only just started making land based foil kites, but the quality and performance of them were amazing, and being a wind junkie and recognizing the same passion in Ozone we have worked together ever since.
Cya and
Goodwinds
Steve McCormack

...so where did the name come from?

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Kamikuza said..
...so where did the name come from?

OZONE was created in 1998 by a group of passionate PG pilots from England, including the only double world champions of hang gliding and paragliding; Rob Whittall and John Pendry. The aim was to create a company of pilots designing wings for pilots to give performance at all levels, never forgetting safety. Today OZONE is one of the top companies in paragliding and power kites and is working hard to bring those talents to the paramotoring and kitesurfing worlds. Mathieu Rouanet, originally a free flight paraglider pilot, flew paramotors with a standard paraglider from OZONE and loved the feel of it. Being seriously involved in the competition scene, he came to us to see if we would be interested to make a special PPG wing for him to be more competitive. The aim was to keep the excellent performance in sink rate and glide of our paragliders, the lightness, and ease of inflation, the "OZONE" touch in the handling, but adding the possibility of reaching very high speed plus high stability to compete against the "Reflex" type wings, which at the time were setting new standards in PPG competitions. This is how we became seriously involved in paramotoring in 2005.

Ooops, I left this important bit from Ozone GM Ian Hannay off my post above.
Ozone was chosen by a group of PG pilots as it was where they felt they were going to end up with the kick ass new wings that they were going to make. Up in the Ozone Layer.
I believe it was John Pendry who named the company, he was WC at the time.

Lack of close out deals is why I don't own an ozone kite...

Great article, I always new Ozone where a cut above the rest:)

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Ozone Kites Aus said..

Up in the Ozone Layer.

Figured that had to be it.

Nice bit of sly marketing - and a bit of needling at the North/Duotone saga.

A year into foiling, I've ordered one of your Hyperlink foil kites after being a long-term buyer of another maker who, strangely, has yet to branch into foil kites.

I'm hoping it's here in Perth in time for my birthday on Saturday ..;)

But what I really want to know is are you moving from uN Zud to the US of A, and why? There is more than a rumour.

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Ozone Kites Aus said..

Kamikuza said..
...so where did the name come from?

OZONE was created in 1998 by a group of passionate PG pilots from England, including the only double world champions of hang gliding and paragliding; Rob Whittall and John Pendry. The aim was to create a company of pilots designing wings for pilots to give performance at all levels, never forgetting safety. Today OZONE is one of the top companies in paragliding and power kites and is working hard to bring those talents to the paramotoring and kitesurfing worlds. Mathieu Rouanet, originally a free flight paraglider pilot, flew paramotors with a standard paraglider from OZONE and loved the feel of it. Being seriously involved in the competition scene, he came to us to see if we would be interested to make a special PPG wing for him to be more competitive. The aim was to keep the excellent performance in sink rate and glide of our paragliders, the lightness, and ease of inflation, the "OZONE" touch in the handling, but adding the possibility of reaching very high speed plus high stability to compete against the "Reflex" type wings, which at the time were setting new standards in PPG competitions. This is how we became seriously involved in paramotoring in 2005.

Ooops, I left this important bit from Ozone GM Ian Hannay off my post above.
Ozone was chosen by a group of PG pilots as it was where they felt they were going to end up with the kick ass new wings that they were going to make. Up in the Ozone Layer.
I believe it was John Pendry who named the company, he was WC at the time.

He was in the WC at the time?

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CJ2478 said..
Lack of close out deals is why I don't own an ozone kite...

Ok thats a fair comment, but the kites that are always on closeout 6 months after they are released are the same ones that lose more value secondhand. Ozone kites retain their used value best, judging from what I can see online. So slight bit more to invest, but retain more value + about the same cost of ownership in the long term.

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alverstone said..
Nice bit of sly marketing - and a bit of needling at the North/Duotone saga.

A year into foiling, I've ordered one of your Hyperlink foil kites after being a long-term buyer of another maker who, strangely, has yet to branch into foil kites.

I'm hoping it's here in Perth in time for my birthday on Saturday ..;)

But what I really want to know is are you moving from uN Zud to the US of A, and why? There is more than a rumour.

I'll be at the KA Season Opener on Sunday, I'll have my 9M Hyperlink with me so come and say hi and we can discuss tips and tricks for foil kites. If there is enough wind you can demo mine.
I've been frustrated by the debt driven marketing of many brands, not just those 2 you mention, will be interesting to see how much coin the new Norf throw into kiting??

No truth to that rumor, Matt Taggart lives in NZ, just built a house there and his wifes parents and doting GP's live there. Torrin Bright is from NZ too, he is one of the lead kite designers now, and Rob Whittall also has a property there, but tends to hang out all over the world testing his designs and racing motorbikes in his spare time.
Mike Cavanagh lives in France, but is from the UK, the paragliding head office and R&D centre is based in the French Alps.
David Pilkington, who built the factory in Vietnam, and how has a Vietnamese wife, also lives in the UK. Ozone global GM Iain Hannay lives in Barcelona Spain.

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Ozone Kites Aus said..

alverstone said..
Nice bit of sly marketing - and a bit of needling at the North/Duotone saga.

A year into foiling, I've ordered one of your Hyperlink foil kites after being a long-term buyer of another maker who, strangely, has yet to branch into foil kites.

I'm hoping it's here in Perth in time for my birthday on Saturday ..;)

But what I really want to know is are you moving from uN Zud to the US of A, and why? There is more than a rumour.

I'll be at the KA Season Opener on Sunday, I'll have my 9M Hyperlink with me so come and say hi and we can discuss tips and tricks for foil kites. If there is enough wind you can demo mine.
I've been frustrated by the debt driven marketing of many brands, not just those 2 you mention, will be interesting to see how much coin the new Norf throw into kiting??

No truth to that rumor, Matt Taggart lives in NZ, just built a house there and his wifes parents and doting GP's live there. Torrin Bright is from NZ too, he is one of the lead kite designers now, and Rob Whittall also has a property there, but tends to hang out all over the world testing his designs and racing motorbikes in his spare time.
Mike Cavanagh lives in France, but is from the UK, the paragliding head office and R&D centre is based in the French Alps.
David Pilkington, who built the factory in Vietnam, and how has a Vietnamese wife, also lives in the UK. Ozone global GM Iain Hannay lives in Barcelona Spain.

Thanks for the offer - but have a bit of an expedition planned for that day. I may pop by in the morning before we go.

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alverstone said..
Nice bit of sly marketing - and a bit of needling at the North/Duotone saga.

A year into foiling, I've ordered one of your Hyperlink foil kites after being a long-term buyer of another maker who, strangely, has yet to branch into foil kites.

I'm hoping it's here in Perth in time for my birthday on Saturday ..;)

But what I really want to know is are you moving from uN Zud to the US of A, and why? There is more than a rumour.

Hey Alverstone,

would you share why the change from boxer to hyperlink?

Why indeed.

demo 'my one' will cost ya ten Steve!

I've flown with the members of the ozone design team on occasions. They are indeed a passionate bunch of dudes, very skilled at kiting in there own right,

The kites are generally good. I'm still flying them primarily because my buddy sells them. I don't always agree with the direction they take on their kites, But i'm just one weird dude not following the general trends. So it makes sense that what I want might not be what the current market wants.

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Plummet said..
I've flown with the members of the ozone design team on occasions. They are indeed a passionate bunch of dudes, very skilled at kiting in there own right,

Ditto... and some epic post ride sessions with Team riders at Middle Wallop, The Ho! and Fraithsthorpe.

Bliss... thems were the days... I vaguely remember...

My quiver of 04 Frenzys, No pumping, No rigging up - parapacked lines, walk out the bar and you're off. Do miss them...

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LuigiKiter said..

alverstone said..
Nice bit of sly marketing - and a bit of needling at the North/Duotone saga.

A year into foiling, I've ordered one of your Hyperlink foil kites after being a long-term buyer of another maker who, strangely, has yet to branch into foil kites.

I'm hoping it's here in Perth in time for my birthday on Saturday ..;)

But what I really want to know is are you moving from uN Zud to the US of A, and why? There is more than a rumour.

Hey Alverstone,

would you share why the change from boxer to hyperlink?

The Boxer was great, but the more I got into foiling the more I realised that the foil kite flew further up in the window, light winds, and it was what the adults used ;). I also wanted to just find out what the buzz was and widen my skills. Keeping my LEIs for above 18kts and downwinders. I also had no other kite to sell to help buy the 'Link. I'm too attached to mty Drifters for the waves.