Source:
https://scmp.com/country-reports/country-reports/topics/japan-business-report-october-2018/article/2167775/nagase
Country Reports

Nagase Kenko sets whole new ball game with high-performance sports equipment

Dominance in the rubber baseball industry is the direct result of the company’s unrelenting research and development and innovation

Shosaku Yanagida, president and CEO

Country Business Reports interviews and articles by Discovery Reports www.discoveryreports.com

Choosing the right equipment is vital in any sport. For Nagase Kenko, every detail matters – down to the last fibre of the sports ball, whether that ball is made of rubber to be used in a round of catch or crafted from leather for a professional baseball game.

In Japanese, ‘Kenko’ has the same pronunciation as ‘good health, By delivering the high quality and safe enjoyment of sport goods, we deliver Kenko to the world Shosaku Yanagida, president and CEO of Nagase Kenko

The 84-year-old, world-renowned pioneer in the field of sports goods specialises in sports balls, including rubber baseballs, soft tennis balls, soft baseballs and leather baseballs.

With products known globally as “Kenko Ball”, Nagase Kenko maintains its local top market share, covering more than 60 per cent of Japan’s rubber baseball industry.

Highly regarded by major international baseball federations, Nagase Kenko’s sports equipment is used throughout the world. Its sports floor mats – badminton court mats in particular – are used in various official events such as the Olympic Games.Nagase Kenko has hit the home-run of success, holding a number of intellectual properties including patents to its name. Its dominance in the rubber baseball industry is the direct result of the company’s unrelenting research and development and innovation.

Dedicated to providing the safest and most premium products for young and old alike, Nagase Kenko emphasises the important advantages of using its low-bounce rubber baseballs.

As opposed to leather baseballs, they are weather-resistant, more durable, less prone to causing injury, and reasonably priced – all the while performing nearly as well as their leather counterparts.

“Many countries put importance on using leather baseballs, but that is changing,” says Shosaku Yanagida, president and CEO of Nagase Kenko.

The company looks forward to forming more partnerships with distributors and sports federations worldwide. It particularly eyes Asia, Europe, Central and South America and the United States, aiming to promote the “Kenko Ball” further, while fostering a vision to spread the Japanese culture of baseball and keeping it safe and fun to play.

“In Japanese, ‘Kenko’ has the same pronunciation as ‘good health’,” Yanagida says. “By delivering the high quality and safe enjoyment of sport goods, we deliver Kenko to the world.”