When Innovation Collides
Schutt Sports creates ground breaking helmets used in the NFL and NCAA Football. So when they were looking for a loyal coating partner, they came to us. Discover how Axalta is #BuiltforFootball.
The Start of Innovation
Schutt Sports was founded in 1918 by Bill Schutt, a hardware store owner in Litchfield, Illinois. Within a generation, Schutt became the #1 helmet maker in the market, encompassing the NFL, NCAA, high school and youth markets. Schutt Sports is dedicated to safeguarding athletes everywhere by creating the world’s most advanced protective equipment. They strive to make the games that athletes play as safe as possible through leading-edge technologies, superior design and advanced materials.
Leading the Pack
Schutt Sports was one of the first helmet companies to introduce a large standoff helmet in the early 2000s. Now, all new helmets are large standoff. Schutt was and continues to be the only major helmet manufacturer to advance beyond the limitations of traditional foam padding. The TPU Cushioning Schutt introduced in 2003 was a giant leap forward for helmet performance and impact absorption. They continue to push that category forward as they re-design and introduce new and improved versions of TPU. The Vengeance Z10, introduced in early 2016, was the first sub three pound helmet from a major helmet market. The Schutt F7, introduced just a few months ago, raised the ceiling of performance for mass-market helmets and has created a space unto itself in the market.
Changing the Game
The launch of the F7 has been the most successful launch in the company’s history. Traditionally, players and teams can be slow to embrace new helmets until they’ve been on the field for an extended period of time. In the first months of the introduction of the F7, over 500 players in the NFL and colleges started wearing the F7. It’s a powerful combination of everything a player wants: unmatched impact absorption, comfort and great fit, game-breaking technology, light weight and, perhaps most importantly, it looks top-notch. The Tektonic Plate technology on the F7 is the most revolutionary advanced on the F7. The premium internal components create a helmet that’s incredible comfortable and easy to wear. Which makes the decision to switch that much easier for a player. The flexural resistance design features create a stronger, more durable helmet and also gives us the ability to use larger TPU Cushions in important areas of the helmet. Plus, it does all of this while weighing about 3.5 pounds – significantly lighter than all of our competitors’ premium helmets. It also features a significant upgrade in materials for the face mask – titanium. Face masks made from titanium are stronger than traditional masks and weigh up to 60% less.
Axalta is #Built For Football
As a company that continues to push the boundaries of innovation and technological improvments in the sporting industry, Schutt trusted Axalta to provide the highest level of coating performance and protection for its helmets. Our FlexBase™ paint system helps deliver chip resistance, quality appearance and flexibility to Schutt helmets so players on the field can focus on what really matters ---- winning the game.
"Helmets are the ultimate symbol of a team’s identity. They are honored, exalted and held in the highest regard by players, coaches and fans. They are, in essence, the team’s flag. In that respect, it is imperative that we create a helmet that, at the very least, performs the way the coaches and equipment managers demand, and, at the very best, stirs an emotional reaction among the players, coaches and fans. " said Glenn Beckmann, Director of Marketing, Schutts Sports. "In order to do that, we need paint, colors and styles that not only stand up to the incredible stresses and rigors of football played at the highest, most physical levels but also looks amazing! Axalta gives us the ability to simply create that which our customers want without having to worry about any of those other potential obstacles. With Axalta, those obstacles simply aren’t there. We’re free to create exactly what our customers imagine. Plus, Axalta has been terrific in helping us create colors and finishes that give us a unique selling proposition: we’re able to offer helmets to our customers that they can’t get anywhere else. Axalta has moved on from being just a supplier to a valuable partner that gives us strategic and tactical advantages over our competition."