During the early 1990s, Wilson had the largest market share of all the sporting goods companies around the world, with total sales amounting to 8.5 percent of the market. Having remained at the forefront of sports equipment and uniform manufacturers, after the war ended in 1945 the company began to expand and grow dramatically. In 1937, Wilson signed the soon-to-be-famous Sam Sneed as a member of the firm's advisory committee, and introduced the Blue Ridge Golf Clubs, named after the region in Virginia where Sneed was born. Incorporated in 1913, the company was originally established to find unique ways of using slaughterhouse byproducts of a nearby meat-packing firm. When it comes to the history of the Baseball glove – or “mitt” as it was refereed to in the late 19 th century – three iconic sporting goods makers still viable today comes to mind: Spalding, Rawlings and Wilson. In addition, Rockne and Wilson developed the first waist-line football pants with pads that could be removed, thus providing the player with the ability to move more freely. The deal became the longest running endorsement deal in the history of sports. Wilson Sporting Goods Company is a sports equipment manufacturer headquartered in Chicago, IL. In the field of golf, in 1995 Wilson introduced the Invex driver, a uniquely designed head made from stainless steel and titanium, which almost overnight became the largest selling of all the firm's golf clubs to date. In 1964, Wilson purchased Wonder Products Company, a firm with a seemingly unrelated product line of toys and custom-molded items. Icely had organized the company in such an efficient manner that, upon his death, there was no interruption in product introduction. Wilson provided almost all of the uniforms for teams in Major League Baseball, and the company also provided the United States Summer Olympic team with all of its official uniforms and clothing. In late 2009, Wilson unveiled their latest line of rackets, codenamed 20x, which they would later rename BLX. The decade of the 1920s was one of the most successful and most innovative periods for the company. [4], Sulzberger & Son's founded the "Ashland Manufacturing Company" in 1913 to use animal by-products from its slaughterhouses. Soon after its entry on the market, the Wilson Duke football was adopted by the National Football League as the official ball. By 1976, Wilson opened a manufacturing plant in Galway, Ireland, to enter the rapidly growing market for tennis products. Rockne worked with Wilson to develop a new double-lined leather football, and the first football that was valve inflated. City officials said the warehouse has a long history, including at one time being a factory for Wilson Sporting Goods. Wilson Staff is the popular golf division of Wilson Sporting Goods. Clearly, the international manufacturing and distribution network Wilson was building owed much of its success to the contacts and resources provided by its parent company, the Amer Group. [1] In 1925, it was renamed "Wilson-Western Sporting Goods" following a distribution agreement with "Western Sporting Goods". Sales continued to increase, and revenues for the company reached an all-time high during the late 1950s. 2005:Wilson Sporting Goods becomes the official distributor of Luxilon string in the United States. As the 1940s drew to a close, the company owned 15 factories, and 31 sales offices and warehouses throughout the United States. L. B. Icely, who replaced Thomas E. Wilson in 1918, and had guided the company through what many business historians regard as its most creative period, died in 1950. As a result, management at Wilson decided to concentrate on fostering an increased participation of the nation's youth in sports, and through a rather sophisticated marketing campaign the company continued its high profile in the sporting goods industry. In 1964, Wilson acquired "Wonder Products Company", which made toys and custom-molded items. In an era when a golf ball was a golf ball, Wilson Golf was the first company to push the limits of what a golf ball could be. Its closest competitors, Anthony Industries, Inc., Johnson Worldwide Associates, and Spalding & Evenflo Co., Inc., had achieved seven percent, 4.9 percent, and 4.6 percent shares of the market, respectively. in.). During the same year, the company established its advisory staff of athletes, with the famous golfer Gene Sarazen as its first member. Wilson Sporting Goods was incorporated in 1913 as the Ashland Manufacturing Company, and was originally established to find unique ways of using slaughterhouse byproducts of a nearby meat-packing firm, its parent company owned by Sulzberger and Schwarzchild. In 1892, Spalding acquired Wright & Ditson and A. J. In September 1985, Wilson Sporting Goods was acquired by Westray Capital Corporation through one of its affiliates, WSGC Holdings, Inc. As a result of the purchase, Wilson became a wholly owned subsidiary of WSGC Holdings. During the 1990s, Wilson renewed its commitment to manufacture innovative designs for sporting equipment. [1], Under new president Lawrence Blaine Icely, it acquired the "Chicago Sporting Goods Company" and struck a deal to supply the Chicago Cubs. To safeguard its future business and growth potential, Amer acquires Wilson Sporting Goods Co. based in Chicago, Illinois. In 1922, it introduced the Ray Schalk catcher's mitt which later became the standard. Museum Artifact: Wilson Success Mid-Iron Golf Club, c. 1920s. In those days, the company manufactured and commercialized the official balls of both, NBA and NFL, and provided most of the uniforms of teams in Major League Baseball (MLB) and the United States Summer Olympics teams. The company makes and markets the gear used to tear it up on courts, courses, and athletic fields worldwide. Wilson Sporting Goods parent to be acquired for $5.2 billion A Chinese investor group led by Anta Sports Products reached a deal to acquire … In 1989, WSGC merged with Bogey Acquisitions Company, which is affiliated with the Finnish group Amer Sports. It started out in 1914, making tennis racket strings, violin strings, and surgical sutures, but soon expanded into baseball shoes and tennis racquets. When Wilson Became a Golf Industry Leader. Perhaps the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan, continued to promote his own line of Wilson signature basketballs, selling over one million annually for nearly 14 consecutive years. Finally, we can read about how these great companies came about with Company Histories.. The company was founded in 1876 when Albert Spalding was a pitcher and manager of a baseball team in Chicago, the Chicago White Stockings.The company standardized early baseballs and developed the modern baseball bat with the bulge at its apex. The revolutionary Hammer 2.7si tennis racquet, introduced in 1990, soon became one of the industry's top-selling racquets. [1], In 1931, it renamed itself "Wilson Sporting Goods Company". Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. From 1989, it has been a subsidiary of the Finnish group Amer Sports, since 2019 itself a subsidiary of the Chinese group ANTA Sports. Reach, both rival sporting goods companies.. Wilson Staff is the golf division of Wilson Sporting Goods. The name Wilson has remained synonymous with sporting equipment: from young boys who play basketball on asphalt courts in the inner city of Chicago to professional athletes who play baseball in enormous stadiums with manicured fields across the United States, the product of choice is a Wilson basketball, baseball, glove, or uniform. Wilson is a major manufacturer of tennis rackets. 2013: ‘4G’ tennis string is launched 2016: ‘Element’ tennis string … Amer acquires Wilson. The fire started at about … Current Wilson Staff players include British Open and PGA Championship champion Pádraig Harrington, and U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland. By the end of the decade, it was evident Wilson had managed its product development so well, and had marketed its items so successfully, that even through the worst years of the Great Depression the company not only survived but prospered. History Talk (0) Share. During the decade, the Wilson brands were chosen as the official basketball of the National Basketball Association, and the official football of the National Football League. Privacy Policy. The company's plant in Humbolt, Tennessee, was manufacturing more than 45,000 golf balls on a daily basis, and had grown to become the third largest golf ball plant in the world. The most influential member of the advisory staff, however, was the football coach of Notre Dame, Knute Rockne. An investigation is underway after fire destroyed the old Wilson Sporting Goods building in Cookeville Tuesday morning. Originally known as the Ashland Manufacturing Company, Wilson Sporting Goods […] Although Thomas E. Wilson left the company in 1918, no interruption occurred in either the manufacture of its products or the growth of its revenues. But once upon a time, these … They produced racket strings, footballs, basketballs and baseball shoes. Jack Kramer, regarded as the "Father of Modern Tennis," also became a member of the company's advisory board and a close collaborator with Wilson in the design of innovative tennis equipment. Wilson Sporting Goods Company has the largest market share in the sporting and athletic goods industry, with its strongest competitors such as Anthony Industries, Inc., Johnson Worldwide Associates, and Spalding & Evenflo far behind. This Chicago-based manufacturer of athletic gear began in 1913 as Ashland Manufacturing, which was as a subsidiary of the Wilson & Co. meat company. Wilson Sporting Goods Co. manufactures and sells sporting equipment. The original kevlar Pro Staff model racket, known for its use by Pete Sampras, was heavy (more than 350g strung) and small-headed (85 sq. The following chart contains all the product lines by the company. In 1979, Wilson tennis balls were first used in the US Open,[9] and still are used to this day. The acquisition is completed at the end of March 1989 for a total consideration of USD 200 million. Stronger and lighter than wood, it became a top seller, and Jimmy Connors became its most famous user, playing at the top of men's professional tennis for much of the 1970's using the long-throated, small-headed steel frame. [10] In 1985, Wilson was acquired by Westray Capital Corporation through subsidiary WSGC Holdings. Aside from tennis rackets, the Wilson sporting goods company also makes tennis balls (including the official balls of the US Open and starting in 2020, the French Open major championships), shoes, balls, strings, clothes, and racquet bags. The company traces its roots to the "Schwarzschild & Sulzberger" meatpacking company (later changed to "Sulzberger & Son's") based in New York, that operated meat packing slaughterhouses. Basketballs and footballs were also added to the company's rapidly growing list of items for sale. As a result, company management decided to focus on the game of golf. The a2000 retails for US $260. With this kind of savvy marketing behind its high-quality products, Wilson Sporting Goods could be expected to retain the largest share of the sporting goods market for years to come. In 1932, the company developed the R-90, a sand wedge golf club inspired by Gene Sarazen's victory in the 1932 British Open. The History of Wilson Sporting Goods A Glove Affair, Noah Lieberman Fascinating History of the Baseball Glove, The Post Game 7/12/2011 The Glove that Changed the Game, The Atlantic 4/15/2012 A2000 Enter Fifth Decade, UPI Archives 6/6/1990 Wilson Baseball Catalog, baseballglovecollector.com Due to its position in the marketplace, and its growing presence overseas, Wilson Sporting Goods was purchased by WSGC Holdings, Inc. in 1985. with slightly rounded frame edges) but with different paint work. [1], Horween Leather Company has supplied Wilson with pebbled cowhide since 1941 for use in the manufacture of footballs and basketballs. Crenshaw's even received the moniker Little Ben due to his proficiency with it[citation needed]. At the same time, Wilson entered into contractual agreements with national and regional retailers across the United States to sell its products. [8], Wilson manufactures and commercializes a variety of products for several sports. Wilson Sporting Goods was incorporated in 1913 as the Ashland Manufacturing Company, and was originally established to find unique ways of using slaughterhouse byproducts of a nearby meat-packing firm, its parent company owned by Sulzberger and Schwarzchild. Before beginning the design of Wilson Sporting Goods’ headquarters, the Gensler team undertook an extensive analysis of the company’s existing workplace, studying the way employees interact, how they feel in their space, and how the work flows. From 1989, it has been a subsidiary of the Finnish group Amer Sports, since 2019 itself a subsidiary of the Chinese group ANTA Sports. In 1954 Wilson began producing the Wilson Staff ball which was seen as revolutionary due to its ability to launch up to 40 percent faster than the golf club's head speed. More than 10 million autographed Jack Kramer tennis racquets would be sold during the next 30 years. The goals were to align with the energy and teamwork common to all sports, and promote creativity and innovation in all departments. Hiring Turner was prophetic since his innovative designs for the leather football had a profound influence on the development of the game. Crews responded to the scene around 1 a.m. on South Depot Street to see the structure engulfed in flames. In March 1989, WSGC Holdings merged with Bogey Acquisitions Company. Crews had the blaze contained right before sunrise this morning. 1962–1994. During the 1980s, Wilson products were endorsed by over 100 of America's most famous and well-respected athletes, including Sam Sneed in golf, Walter Payton in football, Michael Jordan in basketball, and Roger Clemens in baseball. The A1k is made from Wilson’s top-shelf leather and retails US $130. In 1957, the company constructed its own administrative office facility in River Grove, Illinois, a short distance from Chicago's downtown area. A 1989 merger between WSGC Holdings and Bogey Acquisition Company, an affiliate of the Amer Group Ltd., resulted in Wilson Sporting Goods becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the Amer Group, located in Helsinki, Finland. Wilson is Horween Leather Company's largest customer. His tenure was distinguished by one achievement after another, one of the most important (and perhaps the most overlooked) being the introduction--the first such in the sporting goods industry--of the computer for inventory control. Officials say the front of the building collapsed during the fire. A plane ride inspired Sarazen to design a club that would “glide through the sand.” [22], Some of the Wilson products, fltr: American football, basketball, tennis racquet, volleyball, baseball bats and baseball glove, This list includes companies that produce sports equipment. [20] Also, many pros use custom-made rackets that perform differently from the mass-produced versions. Made By: Thos. It worked with Knute Rockne to introduce the double-lined leather football and first valve football and the first waist-line football pants with pads. Thos. One of the strategies Wilson employed over the years to increase sales and enhance its product image was to pursue the endorsement of professional athletes. The A2000, made from Wilson’s Pro Stock leather is the oldest glove series Wilson offers. The company acquired the Hetzinger Knitting Mills to produce athletic uniforms and a caddie bag company which produced golf balls but soon expanded into footballs and basketballs. in. The company owns the brands Atec, DeMarini, EvoShield, Louisville Slugger, and Luxilon to provide sports equipment and protective gear for baseball, lacrosse, softball, and tennis. Through a comprehensive marketing and distribution network Wilson was soon able to sell sporting equipment and uniforms in over 100 countries worldwide. After Rockne's death, the company focused on golf, introducing the R-90, a sand wedge golf club inspired by Gene Sarazen's victory in the 1932 British Open. Wilson not only established its first plant overseas, a baseball manufacturing facility in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, but also opened sales and marketing offices in Wimbledon, Wiesbaden, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. In 1967, the company was acquired by Ling-Temco-Vought. Spalding actually gets credit for the first use of a leather glove in baseball. We see them around but we don't know what goes on behind the scenes. The company traces its roots to the "Schwarzschild & Sulzberger" meatpacking company (later changed to "Sulzberger & Son's") based in New York, that operated meat packing slaughterhouses. Contents 1914–1962: 1962–1994: 1994–present: 1914–1962. [1], In May 2020, it was announced that Wilson became the NBA official ball supplier, starting with the 2021 season. After the World War II, Wilson focused on tennis and signed Jack Kramer, who developed its line of Jack Kramer signed tennis rackets. E. Wilson & Co. / Wilson Sporting Goods, est. And, although Bible was able to help Wilson develop helmets and shoulder pads, the company was unable to match the degree of influence on the game achieved with Rockne during the 1920s. Edit. Of all the company's products, it was the sale of golf equipment that catapulted Wilson Sporting Goods into a place of prominence within the industry during the 1980s and 1990s. In Japan, golf balls and clubs accounted for the majority of sales, while in the United Kingdom tennis rackets and balls sold as briskly as golf balls and clubs. The company closed out the decade by acquiring Chicago Sporting Goods Company, a manufacturer of uniforms, by reaching an agreement to supply all the equipment for the Chicago Cubs baseball team, and by hiring Arch Turner, one of the prominent craftsmen in the leather industry. By Matthew Fortuna. Ted Williams became a member of the company's advisory staff, and brought an inestimable value to the reputation of Wilson's line of baseball products. Jim Courier and Stefan Edberg also used the Pro Staff Original, Edberg later switching to the Pro Staff Classic in 1991, which was the same racket (85 sq. In 1955, it acquired Ohio-Kentucky Manufacturing for making footballs. The Wilson Sporting Goods Company is an American sports equipment manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. Yet the war effort seriously affected Wilson's manufacture of athletic equipment and uniforms, since almost all of the company's production facilities were retooled to make war material such as duffel bags, tents, and helmets to be used by American soldiers fighting overseas. That year alone, Wilson sold over 50,000 of the sand wedge clubs. Manufactured and commercialised through its subsidiary brands, "History of Wilson Sporting Goods Company", "About Wilson Sporting Goods and Sports Equipment", Amer Group to Acquire Wilson Sporting Goods, "Horween Leather Faces an Uncertain Future", NBA drops Spalding as maker of official basketball after more than 30 years, "CFL To Roll Out New Ball For 2018 Season", "Wilson to provide the Official Game Ball for FIBA", Wilson, NCAA extend basketball partnership through 2020-21, NCAA, Wilson extend soccer partnership through 2021, Camisas do centenário do ABC de Natal 2015-2016 Wilson, "Wilson Tennis Rackets, Equipment and Accessories", Tom Hanks is emotionally reunited with his beloved Wilson from Castaway, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wilson_Sporting_Goods&oldid=991605986, Manufacturing companies established in 1913, Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States, American subsidiaries of foreign companies, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2014, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Acquired by Ling-Temco-Vought in 1967, then other owners, This page was last edited on 30 November 2020, at 22:53. Thomas Wilson immediately started to expand the operations of his company by acquiring the Hetzinger Knitting Mills and a small caddie bag company. The A2K is made from Wilson’s Pro Stock Select leather, which is made from triple sorting their famous pro stock leather. Amusements Armed Forces -- Equipment Beverage industry Biochemical engineering Biotechnology Butchers Chemicals Clocks and watches Clothing and dress Wood's use as a frame material didn't undergo any real challenge until 1967 when Wilson Sporting Goods introduced the first popular metal racquet, the T2000. By the end of the year, sales reached the $1 million mark, an enormous amount of money for a company that had been in existence for only a short time. [3] Wilson makes equipment for many sports, among them baseball, badminton, American football, basketball, fastpitch softball, golf, racquetball, soccer, squash, tennis, pickleball and volleyball. In 1915, the company appointed Thomas E. Wilson as president, and from that moment onward nothing was the same. The company transformed the custom-mold section to make protective equipment for American football and baseball, such as face masks for football helmets and leg guards for baseball catchers. In the mid-1990s, a strategic plan was in its initial implementation phase to increase the company's profile and, in turn, its sales in high-growth areas such as Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Italy, Australia, and Singapore. Wilson Sporting Goods and Tennis Icon Serena Williams Debut New Blade SW102 Autograph Racket CHICAGO, Aug. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wilson Advisory Staff Member and global tennis icon Serena Williams and Wilson Sporting Goods Co., revealed today the new Blade SW102 Autograph racket. St. James Press, 1999. Under Amer Group's direction, Wilson opened subsidiaries in Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Canada. [5][6], In 1941, Wilson became official provider of game balls for the National Football League (American football), a partnership that continues to this day. But the company's most important growth opportunities were still in the United States. During World War II it introduced the Wilson Duke football, featuring high-quality leather, ends that were hand-sewn, lock-stitch seams, and triple lining, which was adopted as the official ball of the National Football League. In 1931, the increasingly far-flung business was consolidated as Wilson Sporting Goods. Print version. All rights reserved. In 1893, A.G. Spalding & Brothers purchased the … Among the major retail chain customers were Target Stores, Sportmart, Kmart, Herman's Sporting Goods, and Sears, Roebuck & Company. learn how over 7,000 companies got started! A subsidiary of Finland's Amer Sports, Wilson Sporting Goods Company produces equipment for sports such as tennis, golf, volleyball, squash, basketball, racquetball, football, badminton and baseball. In 1917, the company was so confident in the quality of its product line that it announced a two-year unconditional guarantee on all of its products. Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Wilson Athletic Equipment, 1930. This strategy paid off handsomely in sales as golf club professionals and tennis club professionals used and promoted Wilson products. The company designs and manufactures a full range of golf equipment, accessories and clothing using the Wilson Staff, ProStaff and Ultra brands. Wilson continued its focus on the development of innovative products during the war years, including the introduction of the Wilson Duke football, featuring the best leather, ends that were hand-sewn, lock-stitch seams, and triple lining. 1919 - A distribution agreement with Western Sporting Goods boosts the Wilson reputation as a premier supplier of uniforms, and Wilson becomes the official supplier of the Chicago Cubs. The publicity garnered from these agreements was unprecedented--the Wilson brand name was not only known throughout the United States but around the world. ); Roger Federer also used the same racket model. L. B. Icely died in 1950, but the company continued to expand. Since Bogey was affiliated with the Amer Group Ltd., a multinational corporation located in Helsinki, Finland, Wilson ultimately was owned and operated by the management team at Amer Group. Wilson Sporting Goods has maintained the lion's share of the market throughout its history primarily because of its focus on manufacturing high-quality products in the categories of basketball, football, volleyball, golf, baseball, soccer, racquetball, squash, footwear, team uniforms, and an extensive line of sports apparel. In 1939, Wilson achieved a major innovation in the design and manufacture of golf clubs with its ability to bond different layers and types of wood together to produce a criss-cross pattern that resulted in more power, better direction, and a longer period of use than previous designs which employed other wood. [7] Wilson became the official NBA ball supplier in 1946, in a partnership that would last 37 years.[8]. With growth opportunities seemingly endless, PepsiCo management decided to divide the company into three divisions: Golf, Racquet Sports, and Team Sports, each with its own marketing and sales teams. As of 2015, he uses the Pro Staff RF97 Autograph model that is heavy (340 g/12 oz unstrung) and larger (97 sq. As the decade drew to a close, Wilson was also expanding its production facilities overseas, including new plants in Haiti, St. Vincent, Canada, and Scotland. [21], A Wilson volleyball "co-starred" alongside Tom Hanks in the film Cast Away. Early History. In 1926, he created one of the most recognizable sports brand names in the world, known as Wilson Sporting Goods. At the heart of sports history for over a century, no other company has been as influential and intimately involved in shaping the games of tennis, golf, baseball and American football as Wilson.As the originator of breakthrough technologies, Wilson has produced legendary classics and earned world-wide legitimacy in each sport it participates in. Wilson Sporting Goods was incorporated in 1913 as the Ashland Manufacturing Company, and was originally established to find unique ways of using slaughterhouse byproducts of a nearby meat-packing firm, its parent company owned by Sulzberger and Schwarzchild. The new Conform baseball glove was brought out in 1993, which allowed ballplayers to customize a glove to the contours of their hand. Perhaps well-known for supplying "Wilson," the volleyball in the movie Cast Away, Wilson Sporting Goods has earned the title as the world's top maker of sports balls. In return, PepsiCo provided Wilson with the financial base that was needed for the company to expand into the international market. The packing company continued to have control in the company until 1967 when it was sold to Ling-Temco-Vought. Only three years later, PepsiCo became new Wilson's owner. These two developments were instrumental in helping Rockne to develop the modern passing game in college football. 1925 - The name Thomas E. Wilson Co. is replaced with Wilson-Western Sporting Goods Company. Not only were the 1950s years of continued technological innovation and high-quality product introduction for the company, but administrative changes and new organizational developments also marked the decade. History of Wilson Golf Clubs. International expansion also figured into management's strategy at this time. During the 1960s Wilson continued its strategy, originally conceived and formulated in the 1930s, of vertical integration through the acquisition of highly specialized firms. Copyright (c) 2019 Company-Histories.com. In 1967, however, a major change occurred when Wilson Sporting Goods was purchase by the aerospace conglomerate Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV Corporation), located in Dallas, Texas. The A2K, The A2000, and the A1K, as well as many other models for younger children. It is not just about performance, but the culture of tennis itself,” says Jason Collins, Wilson head of product for racket sports and hard goods. [11], Many teams of the NFL have worn uniforms provided by Wilson, such as:[13]. And few other sporting goods companies in the world have garnered high-powered endorsements as Wilson has. 1913. 1994–present. In 2005 Wilson Staff claims to be the first golf company to utilize nanotechnology in golf equipment. The former Wilson Sporting Goods warehouse in Cookeville was destroyed by a fire early this morning. Wilson was also making a major impact in other areas of sports as well, such as the cardboard tube containers for tennis balls that soon became the standard packaging for the industry. Many of the worlds top professional golfers have used Wilson equipment including Nick Faldo, Arnold Palmer and Ben Crenshaw; the latter two of whom used Wilson 8802 putters. When Knute Rockne died in a plane crash in 1931, Wilson was able to form a close collaboration with Dana X. Bible, the football coach at the University of Nebraska, in an attempt to continue its development of innovative football products.
Birds Coloring Pages, Baseball Bat Coloring Pages, Causes And Effects Of The Civil War Essay, Corporate Housing Dc Area, Leo Tolstoy Short Summary, Foundation Of Early Childhood Education Pdf, Happy Birthday Png Transparent, Klipsch Rp-600m Vs Kef Ls50, Observant Radstag Ash Heap,