Kidsfit Founder Touts Benefits of His Roland Equipment
Irvine, California-based Roland DGA, a manufacturer of wide-format printers, cutters and engraving devices, is the tool of choice for Huger, South Carolina-based Kidsfit, a manufacturer of youth fitness equipment.
The company has developed more than 70 types of gym equipment and fitness products, and it does all its own fabrication—cutting and welding its own steel and designing and installing their own graphics.
“We do all our own manufacturing and we use Roland printers for all our graphics,” says Kidsfit founder Ed Pinney, who launched his company in 1999.
The company has been using a Roland VersaCAMM 54-inch wide-format color printer/cutter and has recently invested in a Roland VersaUV LEJ-640FT UV flatbed printer.
“We loved what we could do with printing on roll materials, then it dawned on us that we could also print directly on plastic and other rigid materials,” said Pinney.
In its classrooms and labs, Kidsfit produces and installs colorful wall graphics, customized flooring mats and themed equipment designed to promote movement and engage the students. It prints on everything from plastics such as nylons and acrylics and now, with the addition of the UV flatbed printer, on various types of paper and wood.
“We set up our rooms to be spaces that are full of energy. Big, colorful graphics make a huge impact on students, teachers, administrators and parents,” Pinney says.
He says his company did extensive research into various manufacturers before it made the investment into its first wide-format printer.
“I didn’t want to make a mistake, so I did my homework with research and reviews. Roland was the obvious answer,” Pinney says. “Our VersaCAMM produces superior results, so when it was time for a flatbed, we chose Roland again. It’s been an ongoing great experience.”
Kidsfit’s graphics installations aim to educate as well as inspire. Images help teachers explain the benefits of movement to students.
“We’ve really just begun to scratch the surface of what we can do,” says Pinney. “The printers really help us practice what we preach—learning kinesthetically in the classroom and in the labs.”
Pinney company practices a business model of “doing well by doing good.” To date, Kidsfit has installed its kinesthetic classrooms in 46 states and across six continents. Its products are used by kids of all ages—preschoolers all the way through high schoolers. Kidsfit has also recently launched a corporate training division.
“We are now seeing the moment where our ideas, supported by scientific research, are having real impact. It’s a very exciting time,” said Pinney.
