Lifetime Products Inc. is a privately owned company founded in 1986. Its main products are blow-molded polyethylene folding chairs and tables, picnic tables, home basketball equipment,"Clearfield company opens China plant", The Standard Examiner, 22 Jan 2010 sheds, coolers, kayaks and paddleboards, and lawn and garden items, along with OEM steel and plastic items from other companies.
Overview
Lifetime Products uses polyethylene blow molding and metal forming technology to create a variety of consumer and industrial products. Lifetime has a large single-point blow molding plastics facility in Clearfield, Utah, occupying , and employs over 2,200 people worldwide. The company produces the only folding chair to comply with the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association (BIFMA), which defines durability standards testing of commercial-grade chairs.BIFMA Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association Lifetime is headquartered in the Freeport Center in Clearfield, Utah, and has vertically integrated manufacturing facilities in Clearfield, Xiamen, China, and Mascot, Tennessee. US distribution facilities are located in North Kansas City, Missouri, and Columbus, Ohio. International distribution facilities are in Monterrey, Mexico and Lille, France.
History In 1972, Lifetime Product's founder, Barry Mower, made a sturdier basketball pole for his backyard using pipe, plywood, and a basketball rim. Seeing the potential in what he had constructed, he placed an ad in the local classifieds and made his first sale.
His business eventually became a sporting goods store, and in March 1986, became Lifetime Products, a name inspired by the goal of building durable and lasting products. Shortly after, the research and design staff created and patented the "Quick Adjust" basketball system, which allowed users to adjust residential basketball rims from 7.5 to 10 feet.
In its first three years, the company grew to 167 employees and occupied of manufacturing, office, and warehouse space. New equipment, including an electrostatic powder coating operation and a robotic rim welding system, was installed to keep up with demand. A metal fabrication department was also formed to constantly update and improve presses and dies.
Utilizing its expertise in plastics and metals, Lifetime then developed a blow-molded folding picnic table in 1995, a folding banquet table in 1998, and a steel-reinforced blow-molded shed in 2005.
In May 2010, Lifetime acquired the assets of Dragonfly Innovation Corp., a producer of blow-molded kayaks, and kayak production was moved to Lifetime's facilities in Utah.Plastics News, 4 May 2010 In November 2011, Lifetime acquired Pennsylvania-based Emotion Kayaks, making Lifetime one of the largest kayak manufacturers in the world.
In August 2017, the company expanded US operations by opening a 700,000+ square foot east coast manufacturing and distribution facility in Mascot, TN just east of Knoxville, TN.This new facility will produce Lifetime’s line of water sports products including kayaks and paddleboards, as well as their outdoor Play System line of products. With this new location for manufacturing and distribution, Lifetime will be able to meet its customers’ increasing demand for products with shortened supply chains and faster shipping times.
On July 6, 2024 the CEO of Lifetime Products, Richard Hendrickson and his daughter Sally, were killed in an automobile accident in Ogden Canyon after their vehicle collided with a bulldozer that had fallen off a truck while being transported.
Products
Tables and chairs Folding Chair Stacking Chair Folding tables Round tables Personal tables Picnic tables Camp and sport tables
Basketball systems Portable Residential Basketball Systems In-ground Residential Basketball Systems Bolt-down Residential Basketball Systems Adjustable-Height Basketball Systems (portable, in-ground, and bolt-down) Rim and Backboard Stationary Combinations
Sheds Storage buildings Storage sheds Garden sheds Extension kits and accessories
Lawn and garden Yard cart Wheelbarrow Compost tumbler Glider bench Deck box
Playground equipment Outdoor playsets Teeter-totters Dome climbers Swing sets Tetherball set
Kayaks Sit-on-top Kayaks Sit-Inside Kayaks Youth Kayaks Paddleboards
Coolers 5 gallon water cooler 28 quart cooler 48 quart cooler 55 quart cooler 65 quart cooler 77 quart cooler 115 quart cooler
Lifetime Metals Lifetime Metals produces processed steel items for both Lifetime Products, and for other manufacturers in the region."Tough economy has Utah manufacturers going lean." The Deseret News, 12 Nov 2009 Services provided include coil slitting and leveling, shearing, stamping with Minster machine presses, tube mill operations, roll forming, and other processes.Lifetime Metals
Lifetime Store Lifetime owns and operates the retail chain Lifetime Store, formerly called Backyards Inc., which is a factory outlet for Lifetime Products carrying both new and seconds, or blemished products. There are seven store locations in Utah and Idaho.
Patents and innovations 1986 – Introduced and patented the first adjustable basketball pole on the market 1992 – Introduced its line of portable basketball systems 1992 – Invented and patented the friction weld joint for basketball poles 1993 – Invented a blow-molded base that is airtight and watertight 1995 – Invented blow-molded polyethylene tabletops 1995 – Invented a fully assembled, folding picnic table 1996 – Invented the Power Lift, the first one-hand, pneumatic height adjustment mechanism 1998 – Introduced blow-molded polyethylene folding banquet tables 2000 – Introduced the only folding chair to meet or exceed BIFMA standards 2001 – Introduced Mammoth Basketball Equipment, a line of professional-quality home basketball systems 2004 – Introduced the Shatter Proof Backboard, the first virtually unbreakable backboard made with Makrolon polycarbonate 2005 – Introduced its multi-branded line of outdoor storage sheds 2006 – Introduced an innovative new line of steel utility trailers 2007 – Introduced its line of residential playground equipment 2008 – Introduced a line of residential garden products 2010 – Invented a low cost tent trailer that carries an all-terrain vehicle 2010 – Acquired Dragonfly Innovations, expanding its offerings to include kayaks 2011 – Acquired Emotion Kayaks, making Lifetime one of the largest kayak manufacturers in the world 2015 – Acquired LightHeaded Beds, LLC. 2018 – Introduced a line of coolers
References
External links Official website: Lifetime.com