4. How did the integration of online custom board design software (CBD), CAD, and computer numerical control (CNC) improve Firewire’s operations? Nev Hyman had been building surf boards in Australia for 35 years. In 2005, he teamed up with Mark Price and a group of longtime surfing friends in Carlsbad, California, to form Firewire Surfboards.

This company thrives on innovation and was responsible for the first major change in surfboard composition and assembly methods in 40 years. Rather than polyurethane resin and polyurethane foam, Firewire’s boards were composed of expanded polystyrene

(EPS) foam and epoxy resins. Hyman and Price believed that this composition for the surfboard core, along with aerospace composites for the deck skin and balsa wood rails (the outside edge), created a more f lexible and maneuverable product that would attract top surfers and set Firewire apart from its competitors.

FireWire is competing in a crowded field that includes Isle Surf boards, Surftech, Aviso Surf, Boardworks Surf, Channel Island, and Lost Enterprises. FireWire is alone in the reintroduction of balsa wood to the board rails for added flex response time and the ability to maintain speed during precarious maneuvers. Firewire believes it can compete successfully because its surf boards are far lighter, stronger, and more f lexible than those of competitors. An additional selling point is the reduced environmental impact: Firewire’s materials emit only 2 percent of the harmful compounds of traditional boards and recycling excess EPS foam has earned Firewire international awards and acclaim.