According to Price, who became Firewire’s CEO,
there are 29 time-consuming and labor-intensive
steps in the surfboard manufacturing process.
Initially, the multifaceted manufacturing process
made it impossible to offer personalized CAD to the
average consumer. Customized boards could only
be produced for elite competitive customers. There
was no way to offer customization to a wider market
without overburdening Firewire’s CAD system.
Moreover, most custom boards had to be ordered by
filling out a piece of paper with various dimensions
for the requested changes. There was no way to
see a visual representation of these adjustments or
assess their impact on the board’s volume, which
directly affects buoyancy, paddling ability, and
performance.