NEWS
Yugo takes charge
As the current managing director Robin Morley retires, Daiwa gets a new man in charge. This month we introduce you to Yugo Asari, vice president of Daiwa Sports in Scotland and the new man at the helm...
H
ow long have you worked for Daiwa? What is your background
within the company? I have been in Daiwa since April 1992, almost 31 years.I mainly dealt with R&D and marketing in Japan.
What do you do in a typical day?
I often go out for market research with colleagues because it’s important to study the UK market. I also manage all areas at the Daiwa Sports office and factory. However, it is impossible to do this perfectly without the big support by all the Daiwa staff. As Daiwa Sports also has a factory making rods and poles, I often visit this area and I check its quality and performance with factory managers.
What is Daiwa doing well, and where is your
1
The outgoing Robin Morley and incoming Yugo Asari, photographed together at The Big One in Farnborough
opportunity to grow? We commit total quality; I believe many customers want to use our latest innovative and reliable products. I believe the way to grow is to keep supplying better quality products to help anglers feel satisfaction and catch more fish.
And what is your main objective in Scotland?
44 | Tackle & Guns | Issue: 756
Of course, we want to be the most loved fishing manufacturer by all anglers in the UK.
How does UK and Japanese fishing tackle business culture differ? In particular, how do dealers operate in Japan and are
there similarities with the UK? There are many differences between Japan and the UK even though both are islands countries. First, the fishing styles; the Japanese main fishing style is lure fishing however the UK fishing style is mainly bait fishing. You may be surprised at the fact that about 70% of the market is dominated by lure fishing in Japan. Secondly, the target fish; Japanese anglers mainly love large mouth black bass, seabass and squid as lure fishing target. It is maybe hard to imagine in the UK but squid are very popular for both fishing and eating among Japanese people. Third, 70% of target fish is sea fish in Japan. Nowadays, there are fewer independent stores than before in Japan and three big nation-wide chain stores and local chain stores dominate over 85% of the market. Instead, independent stores in the UK are more energetic and influential especially for the core anglers than Japan.
In your view, what are the biggest threats and
challenges facing the industry?
It must be the global warming as it changes our environment dramatically. Droughts, floods and high water temperature cause more deaths of fish too. Also, it triggers less places to fish. It must be one of the biggest threats and challenges for our industry too.
And how best do we counter them?
These are general things but it is important to reduce CO2 emissions by creating less garbage, driving hybrid or electric cars and conserving energy consumption with many small actions making the environment better for everyone. We must not escape from this crisis and we must be always earth-friendly.
Are there any
technological advances left in fishing tackle? And if so, how do you research and
cultivate them? Actually, I don’t know. However, our industry has been making new technology in every era. Over 40 years ago, nobody expected an anti-reverse reel handle. Around 30 years ago, no one did non-twisting spinning reel line rollers. A mere 20 years ago, no one made carbon graphite rod guides. A decade ago, no one did a reel
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