Light In Fitness or Proludic: How to Choose for Your Project
Proludic est un fabricant intégré d'équipements de jeu et de sport de plein air, fondé en 1986 à Vouvray ; Light In Fitness est distributeur de 12 marques professionnelles et fabricant de structures acier et inox, à Tours. Pour une aire de jeux emblématique et très design, un fabricant spécialisé du jeu est le bon choix. Pour un projet mixte jeux, fitness extérieur et salle intérieure, ou pour un site en bord de mer, l'interlocuteur unique et l'inox font la différence.
Proludic is an integrated manufacturer of play and outdoor sports equipment, founded in 1986 with production at Vouvray in France; Light In Fitness is a distributor of 12 professional brands and a manufacturer of its own steel and stainless steel structures. For a landmark, highly designed playground, a specialist play manufacturer is the right answer. For a mixed project spanning play, outdoor fitness and an indoor training room, or for a coastal site, a single point of contact and stainless steel are what make the difference.
A local authority launching a playground or outdoor fitness project will often consult both types of supplier. They answer the same tender without doing the same job. Here are the differences that actually matter at the point of decision, stated frankly by one of the two.
Two different models
| Proludic | Light In Fitness | |
|---|---|---|
| Business | Integrated manufacturer of play and outdoor sports equipment | Distributor of 12 professional brands and manufacturer of steel and stainless steel structures |
| Established | Founded in 1986 | Since 2013, more than 2,500 customers equipped |
| Base | Production site at Vouvray, France | Tours, France |
| Reach | More than 75,000 claimed installations across 50 countries | Local authorities, clubs and private facilities |
| Scope | Children’s play, inclusive play, outdoor fitness, multi-sports areas, street furniture | Playgrounds and outdoor fitness, plus complete indoor equipment: strength, cardio, sports flooring |
| Compliance | EN 1176, EN 16630, EN 15312, TUV certification | EN 1176, EN 16630, TUV certification depending on the range |
What Proludic brings
It is worth saying plainly: on pure playground work, Proludic is a leading manufacturer. Integrated production, close to four decades of history, a very wide children’s range from toddlers to teenagers, recognised work on inclusive play and thematic customisation, and support from design through to installation. An authority looking for a landmark playground, custom-drawn around a local theme, should go there without hesitation.
What Light In Fitness brings
Our business is not the same: we are a distributor of twelve professional brands and a manufacturer of our own steel and stainless steel structures. That has three concrete consequences for a client.
One point of contact for indoors and outdoors
An authority equipping a playground, a fitness trail and the strength room of a sports hall usually deals with three suppliers. We cover all three: playground equipment, outdoor gym equipment and indoor strength training machines, within a single tender file and a single point of follow-up.
A choice between several manufacturers
A manufacturer offers its own catalogue; a distributor compares. On a given line we can put several brands against each other on price, lead time and specification, and select the one that fits the requirement rather than the one we happen to produce.
Stainless steel and bespoke steel fabrication
We manufacture our own structures, which allows us to answer the cases a catalogue does not cover: unusual dimensions, a difficult siting constraint, or a coastal location where galvanised steel does not last. See the 316L stainless steel range.
How to decide, by project type
| Your project | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Landmark playground, local theme, strong visual identity | A specialist play manufacturer such as Proludic |
| Standard playground on a controlled budget | Both; compare footprint, free fall height and surfacing cost, not only the price of the modules |
| Mixed project across play, outdoor fitness and an indoor room | Light In Fitness, for the single point of contact |
| Coastal site or an unusual siting constraint | Light In Fitness, for stainless steel and bespoke steel fabrication |
| Strength room, free weight floor, sports flooring | Light In Fitness: this is not a playground manufacturer’s business |
The criteria to put in your tender
Whichever supplier you select, these are the points that prevent unpleasant surprises:
- The free fall height of each item, not the overall height: this is what drives the cost of the impact-absorbing surfacing under EN 1177.
- The foundation depth, to be checked against buried services before any aesthetic decision is taken.
- The certificates of conformity, EN 1176 for play equipment and EN 16630 for outdoor fitness. They are separate standards and are not interchangeable.
- The documentation handed over at delivery, which determines what you can enter in your inspection record.
- The availability of spare parts and the replacement lead time, frequently absent from offers.
Comparison written by Light In Fitness from publicly available information on Proludic: an openly stated point of view, with verifiable facts. The characteristics and ranges of both companies change over time; verify the decisive points with each supplier before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
Are Proludic and Light In Fitness competitors?
On playgrounds and outdoor fitness, yes. On indoor strength, cardio and sports flooring, no: that is not a playground manufacturer’s business.
What is the difference between a manufacturer and a distributor?
A manufacturer offers its own catalogue, which brings industrial control and traceability. A distributor compares several brands on price, lead time and specification. Light In Fitness combines both roles: distributor of 12 brands and manufacturer of its own steel and stainless steel structures.
For a highly designed playground, which should I choose?
A specialist play manufacturer such as Proludic, whose thematic customisation and work on inclusion are a recognised strength.
And for a mixed play, fitness and indoor project?
A single point of contact saves time and simplifies the tender. That is the use case where Light In Fitness adds the most, covering all three families in one file.
Which criteria should I compare in the offers?
Free fall height item by item, foundation depth, the EN 1176 and EN 16630 certificates, the documentation handed over at delivery for your inspection record, and the availability of spare parts.
Discussing your project
If a tender is already in preparation, send us your site plan and we will come back with a layout study and a costed proposal. Request a quote to start the conversation.
Réalisations documentées
- Cage street workout ultime, Carcassonne – armée française
- Cage street workout ultime, Tahiti – armée française, Polynésie
- Cage SP Max, centre EPIDE de Combrée – établissement public d’insertion
- Cage SP Max, lycée Saint-Bénigne de Dijon – établissement scolaire
Sources et références
- Décret n° 96-1136 du 18 décembre 1996 – prescriptions de sécurité relatives aux aires collectives de jeux (Légifrance)
- NF EN 1176-1 – Équipements et sols d’aires de jeux, partie 1 : exigences de sécurité et méthodes d’essai générales (AFNOR)
- NF EN 1177 – revêtements de surface amortissants : détermination de la hauteur de chute critique (AFNOR)
- NF EN 16630 – modules fixes d’entraînement physique de plein air : exigences de sécurité et méthodes d’essai (AFNOR)
