Molten sees RP growth

If you follow the bouncing ball, it’s probably a Molten. Because there isn’t a more popular brand in the world.

Molten’s been the official basketball at the Olympics since 1984 and it’s already been designated up to the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. At the World Championships, it’s the staple. And even Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal, who carefully chooses his endorsements, swears by it.

For the last 10 years, Molten has been distributed locally by KB Impex International.

But it was only a few days ago that Molten Corp. president Fumiya Tamiaki came here for a long overdue visit.

"Molten is committed to develop and promote Philippine sports," he told a gathering of some of the country’s basketball officials at the Manila Polo Club the other day. "We intend to make Molten the No. 1 basketball in Asia’s No. 1 basketball kingdom."

Molten isn’t just into basketballs. In Japan, Molten soccer and volleyballs outsell its basketballs even as the brand enjoys a 70 percent market share in domestic hoops. But all over the world, the Molten basketball is tops.

"I’m a frisky jetsetter," declared the fit and trim 64-year-old Tamiaki. "I take about 15 trips a year and I’m away from home about a third of the year visiting our factories, sales offices, and clients. I’m the Indian chief who’s directly in charge of our production, sales and marketing, and research and development. My philosophy is to do things right and it suits KB Impex’ philosophy of discipline."

As a hands-on chief executive, Tamiaki sassumes responsibility over Molten’s 2,600 workers around the globe. Molten has factories in the US, Mexico, Germany, and Thailand and stitching facilities in China and Vietnam, among others. It has sales offices in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Molten was established in 1958 by Tamiaki’s grandfather in Hiroshima. Tamiaki is a third generation chief executive and his only son, a 28-year-old US-born Detroit automotive factory employee, may be in line to take over. A daughter works for C. Itoh, a trading company, in Tokyo and another daughter is a gynecologist. Tamiaki took over Molten as president some 25 years ago and engineered its globalization.

Innovation is a key reason why Molten is the preferred brand of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), said Tamiaki. In the works is a new model that offers a firmer grip with more leather pores and wider wedges for better control. Tamiaki laughed off models of rival brands that compromise balance by featuring a built-in pumping mechanism. He said Molten products pass the strictest standards set by German quality control experts.

"The market for our basketballs is expanding all over the world," he said. "We see the largest potential for growth in the socio-adult segment where the focus is physical fitness and health maintenance. We are also looking at the ladies recreational sector, the youth, the schools, and of course, the professional sector where the level of competition is at its highest."

Tamiaki brought along two executives to Manila. He came with Molten Asia director Norihiko Kamiya, who is based in Thailand, and Molten general manager for international sales Kiyoaki Nishihara.

KB Impex International president Kay Sham and his son Buxani coordinated the Molten group’s two-day, one-night visit. They treated the guests to a healthy Indian vegetarian dinner at their Alabang home last Tuesday.

Tamiaki said he keeps fit by swimming and playing golf. "I took up golf only when I turned 60," he related. "My coach told me I must listen only to him when it comes to learning how to play the game–no instructional videos, no advice from friends. Every six months, I try to chop off five shots from my average. I’m down to 90 and shooting for 85."

Turning to his host, Tamiaki paid tribute to Sham’s healthy lifestyle, saying Molten’s local distributor doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t stay out late at night, and is a strict vegetarian.

Tamiaki is also vice chairman of the Japan Basketball League (JBL) which is the Japanese version of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He said the JBL is undergoing a transformation with the pullout of Isuzu’s club, leaving stars like Kenichi Sako and Michael Takahashi out in the cold.

Has O’Neal gone to Molten’s factories to test its basketballs?

"Oh, no," replied Tamiaki. "He’s too busy. Instead of him going to us, we go to him. He’s our only basketball endorser and his hand imprint is on our basketball. With Shaq, we don’t need anybody else to endorse Molten."

Among the country’s sports figures invited by KB Impex to meet the Japanese visitors were Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) president Tiny Literal, BAP secretary-general Graham Lim, former Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) secretary-general Moying Martelino, University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) president Sonny Paguia, the PBA’s Ronnie Po and Ernie Aquino, Tommy Ong of the Philippine Basketball League (PBL), former Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) commissioner Chito Loyzaga, former PBL commissioner Charlie Favis, and Toby Sports’ Toby Claudio.