With a focus on total cost of ownership, service readiness, and long-term durability, Precor turns the equipment lifecycle from an operational burden into a business asset
Longevity represents a common goal among today’s fitness consumers, and while Precor gives them the tools to help achieve it, the brand also prioritizes making equipment that keeps pace.
Extending product lifespan has long been a core priority for the fitness and wellness equipment supplier, and in recent years, the company has only intensified that focus. With a strategic innovation process and flexible, attentive services that reinforce products in the field, Precor is making machines that last, serve operators and exercisers well and integrate without friction.
“We put a lot of focus here at Precor on the full lifecycle,” said Daniel Murray, VP of Global Customer Experience at Precor. “We’re looking for longevity, serviceability and predictable ownership. Those are the three main things.”
Customers Know What’s at Stake
Thanks to modern management tools, it’s now easy to discover previously overlooked lifecycle costs, such as repairs, subscriptions and power consumption. Couple that with mounting economic pressures, and operator mindsets are shifting. Gym and studio owners now approach potential purchases with more discipline, analyzing the true investment behind fitness and wellness equipment.
“People once thought of this as a one-time transaction, but now think of it like they’re managing a portfolio over a five to 10 year period,” said Murray. “They need to understand the overall cost, so we’re seeing a big shift from partners moving to a model where they’re not just tracking the upfront cost, but the cost over the entire project.”
Those costs stack over time and have a trickle-down effect as well, making them even more vital to monitor.
“If you’re experiencing a product that has an issue, even once a year over that five to 10 year period, that is adding hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to the cost of your total ownership of a product,” Murray said. “The products that require more service also remove staff from sales opportunities and hinder them from boosting the customer experience. Everything in that space removes them from opportunities to grow their business.”
Designed for Longevity and Built for Service
While acknowledging this newer, more deliberate approach to equipment purchasing, Precor continues to refine its processes to consistently exceed expectations.
“Our product development process focuses on designing equipment that’s easy to service and built for longevity,” Murray said. “If you get these two things together, that greatly improves the experience for the customer.”
Precor tracks and logs every issue any product has ever had in the field. The brand then conducts several testing rounds to iron them out. Precor also continually tests ways to reduce energy consumption and product pieces that undergo the most wear and tear, such as wheels or running belts.
“Over the years, that’s really empowered us to drive down the failure rates on our treadmills,” Murray said. “Now, it’s very common that you’ll see Precor cardio machines in the field for seven or more years, when the buying cycles for these products used to be much shorter than that.”
That durability is also reflected in product design details, such as the 10-year warranty on the slats of Precor’s new Breakaway Treadmill.
However, durability out of the gates is only part of the equation. Service readiness plays an equally critical role in extending product lifespan. Precor prides itself on being as prepared as anyone to deliver that.
“We always make sure we have parts on the shelf,” Murray said. “We make sure that we have vans in the field with those appropriate parts…That certainly has empowered us to offer that fast service work when needed.”
At Precor’s main distribution center, they keep approximately $6 million in parts inventory. Across their nationwide service network, each van holds $12,000–$15,000 of parts.
Lifetime Partnerships
Precor also makes sure operators understand overall costs with systems in place that allow them to track their investment in a product over time.
“We spend a lot of time making sure that we can see the cost of ownership for our products, and we can help our customers make better decisions on their buying cycles,” Murray added.
Precor’s transparency, paired with its manufacturing and repair efforts, has positioned the brand as a trustworthy partner for many.
“I think the biggest thing that we can take away is our repeat customers,” Murray said. “We have operators who are now on their fourth generation of Precor equipment over a 30-year period.”
The brand supports a wide range of markets globally, including premium fitness operators, community-based nonprofit organizations, hospitality brands and commercial health clubs, many of whom have partnered with Precor for decades.
“Across these segments, operators have been able to move away from maintaining large in-house service teams,” Murray said. “Instead, they’ve built predictable, profitable replacement cycles and are planning years ahead with confidence — because they trust the durability, serviceability and long-term quality of Precor products.”
