Here’s some encouraging news for the snowboard industry. Following the bankruptcy and closure of the acclaimed Elan Factory a couple of months back, we’ve just been informed that Capita have assumed control of the factory, which is back up and running and currently churning out 2013/2014 Capita snowboards. Before it closed, the factory had been responsible for the production of a whole host of brands’ snowboards including Arbor, Bataleon, Capita, Dinosaurs Will Die, Lobster, and Rome.

We’re chuffed that after 25 years of operation, the factory has been brought a new lease of life and the news means that many of the original factory workers have got their jobs back, under former Elan Austria CEO and Technical Director Michael Kollman, who will be heading up the operation for Capita.

Of course, Capita aren’t new to the factory and have been producing their snowboards there for the last 10 years. Capita President Blue Montgomery had this to say about the acquisition:

This is a milestone in regard to our  long held vision of vertical integration and production control. Our first commitment is ensuring our ability to deliver our 2013/14 line, consistent with our samples and on schedule, with the high quality standards that people expect of our snowboards. We’ve produced at this factory for ten years. We know the facility, technology and team very well and we’re sure of our ability to deliver our best lineup of boards to date

Business lingo aside, another rad point to all this is that Capita becomes one more brand with direct involvement in their manufacturing process (much like what Burton, Mervin, Signal and Endeavor currently have going on) and it should give them much more scope for experimenting, testing and innovation, which will inevitably result in a stronger finished product at the end of the day.