So Demarini and Louisville Slugger are both owned by Wilson

I had not realized that both Demarini and Louisville Slugger were both owned by Wilson... I was checking out the websites and noticed they were very similar in design. Then when I went to call support, I found that both phone numbers were almost identical at 800-800-9932 vs 9935. Makes me wonder just how different the bat designs are under the graphics...

Just go to wilson dot com and they are all listed across the top

About 4 years ago or so

Not really sure about design...the LS fp bats have come from China for many years. Not sure about Demarini anymore as I don't follow them. The main reason Wilson bought LS was
to get a quick segment of the wood bat market. And would have been dumb not to keep the brand name going for fp. Not like they needed to add manufacturing or any staffing. It was
pretty much plug and play. I know they eliminated a lot of LS product reps as you didnt need a Demar and LS rep for the same area anymore.

Thanks Core. It's logical that they would merge services where possible. The real question is what they did with their design and manufacturing centers. If they have or are working to merge manufacturing centers, there will be continuous pressure to commonize the internal design elements. The logical extreme would be to get to a place where there are only superficial differences between the two and then they slap whichever paint/logo package on the bat.

It would be nice (but not cost effective) if they maintained independent design and manufacturing locations which would result in both sides competing with each other to make the best and most durable product, each generating their own new design ideas, and in each new iteration there would be winners and losers.

Also I had an interesting conversation with their support center on bat swing weight which I will post in the bat weight database thread (link)...

FWIW they have merged their support centers for DeMarini and Louisville Slugger. IMO the only reason they don't just use the exact same phone number and email is to give an illusion that they are different and not have to add "press 1 for DeMarini or press 2 for Louisville Slugger" to the automated system .

...and for what it's worth, Wilson is owned (parent company) by Amer Sports, a Finnish company.

CoreSoftball20 nailed it. DeMarini is also a formidable competitor to Easton in the youth bat market, so the two brands are differentiated enough that they won't be merging in the near future. You have good points on cost-effectiveness of bringing LS and DeMarini into one manufacturing location, but even if they're cannibalizing each other for player interest/revenue, they'd end up losing way more if they morphed into one. Either way, both companies treated as wholly owned subsidiaries seems to have worked well the past few years.

FWIW Demarinis are highly advertised as Made In USA. Of course that could always mean they are "made" elsewhere but assembled In the USA.

jryan15 said:

Thanks Core. It's logical that they would merge services where possible. The real question is what they did with their design and manufacturing centers. If they have or are working to merge manufacturing centers, there will be continuous pressure to commonize the internal design elements. The logical extreme would be to get to a place where there are only superficial differences between the two and then they slap whichever paint/logo package on the bat.

It would be nice (but not cost effective) if they maintained independent design and manufacturing locations which would result in both sides competing with each other to make the best and most durable product, each generating their own new design ideas, and in each new iteration there would be winners and losers.

Click to expand...

You have to realize, LS bats are coming from China...there is no manufacturing costs for them with that. Nothing to "merge" in that aspect. All you have is product people
designing bats and China makes them. So no rush to start manufacturing fp bats here.

That's why the designs arent the exact same.

But yes, they were def going to merge customer service (which was done asap) and rep territories (which was done two years or so after the purchase). That was a no
brainer.

CoreSoftball20 said:

You have to realize, LS bats are coming from China...there is no manufacturing costs for them with that. Nothing to "merge" in that aspect. All you have is product people
designing bats and China makes them. So no rush to start manufacturing fp bats here.

That's why the designs arent the exact same.

But yes, they were def going to merge customer service (which was done asap) and rep territories (which was done two years or so after the purchase). That was a no
brainer.

Click to expand...

So I'm gathering that DeMarini bats are made in the US as opposed to LS being made in China? Please verify if you have time. If DeMarini is made in the US, well that can happen a couple ways, one way is to buy US components from US suppliers using US materials, another way is to buy globally acquired components using regional materials and gather the foreign made components and assemble them in the US to deceptively say "made in the US" (very common with coastal companies)... If the latter is true, then it would be logical for the DeMarini and Slugger teams to determine which company was getting the cheapest components and then move both product lines to use the cheapest reliable source to reduce costs.

In my experience from a design side when two companies who make similar products merge, the two design groups quickly bleed into a single design group (even when maintaining separate facilities). Prior to the buyout, you would have DeMarini and Slugger engineers independently making the most explosive, robust bats they could make with each company desperately protecting their intellectual property and product knowledge. After the merge, those two things come together and typically the cheapest or most efficient elements survive and the line between the two bat manufacturers blur as the products become more similar (for efficiency), but just different allow for brand competition in the market.

Really I just want to find out just how different the two bats are, but I don't have the cash to buy and dissect them. I want to know if DeMarini and Lousiville Slugger are in direct competition with each one trying to out do the other with unique designs in an attempt to gain market share, or if the two companies are creating a false atmosphere of competition but really using common materials and similar manufacturing processes where ever possible to save $$$'s.

LS is made in China, and bats are shipped here after made, been that way for years on the fp bats. I dont have time to get into what could/could not happen and I really
dont care that much as my opinion or anybody else's opinion doesn't matter in what decisions are made. Think you are going into this a little too much as this happened like 4 years ago. I do believe Demar is actually made here, not assembled. Monsta is assembled here, not made. So I do
understand how things work...just not as concerned about it as you are . Both bats swing and feel differently, so gonna say they have stayed separate as of now
with what matters.

Plain and simple, you have 2 brands that have followers, why merge the two and potentially lose customers. Let LS keep doing what they do and Demar
does what they do. That way both brands stay strong and one pocket gets bigger...haha

If LS was struggling to stay afloat and you bought them, then maybe you think about changing the whole company setup/manufacturing. But as it is, just get rid of
duplicate payroll/services and let them roll.

I do get what you are saying jryan. Worth and Miken are the same bats for sp...just diff paint to look diff. But they are made in the same building and
don't hide that fact. You are trying to make sure the same isn't going on with LS and Demar...but I don't think it is yet. Think it would be a horrid
deicision to ever just resticker bats just to have a LS name on them.