WhiteWater has struck a new licensing deal with wiegand.maelzer to manufacture the German company’s innovative SlideWheel.
The first-of-its-kind SlideWheel is a complex of intertwined slides that rotate on a wheel to provide brand new rider experiences. Aimed at families, the raft ride delivers strong G forces, pendulum movements, and backwards sliding. What’s more, because of the motion built into the structure, it gives guests the impression that the ride is much longer than it is.
During a recent visit to longstanding WhiteWater client, Chimelong Waterpark, the team saw the SlideWheel firsthand, and were instantly hooked:
“Bringing rides with iconic value to our clients is what WhiteWater is all about – this is the most visually compelling ride in the water park industry today,” states Geoff Chutter, CEO of WhiteWater.
The SlideWheel is 24m tall and weighs 160 tons. wiegand.maelzer constructed a full-scale prototype in its manufacturing facility in Germany before delivering the complex structure to the waterpark in Guangzhou, China. It took four months to install and commission the ride which has proved a big hit with guests.
Licensing agreement ‘helps move our industry forward’
The licensing deal between WhiteWater and wiegand.maelzer was struck at the recent Euro Attractions Show in Amsterdam.
“Our partnership with WhiteWater signals a broader collaboration on product innovations, and this helps move our industry forward with the expertise and resources we both possess,” adds Rainer Maelzer, CEO of wiegand.maelzer.
“Being an industry leader, WhiteWater is a valued partner for us to access markets around the globe.”
WhiteWater is in a prime spot to understand which rides will motivate people to visit a waterpark. The company recently commissioned a survey into the way people play. The findings suggested that people fall into four main categories: Adventurers, Socialisers, Dreamers and Challengers. Researchers collected data from over 1,100 participants in the US and China.
