Office ZPI out of business?

[Johnny A]

I thought I read something about this here previously but can’t find it. ZPI products including rods and grease/oil because of COVID?

https://zpi-jp.translate.goog/news-2022 ... x_tr_hl=en

Dear Sirs, I would like to congratulate you on your continued success.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your continued support.
We would like to inform you that we have discontinued the manufacture and sale of the products listed in the attached table, which have been patronized by us for many years.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of you for your kindness over the years, and we deeply apologize for the discontinuation of production and sales.
In addition, we would like to ask for your continued patronage in the future as well.
1. Discontinued products
• Please refer to the target product list (AlcanceRod) below.
2.Sales end date
•May 31, 2022 3.Reason
for production and sales discontinuation
•Because it became difficult to continue the production and sales system due to the influence of the corona overage.
4. Warranty
• The warranty for this product will end on May 31, 2022 at the same time as the end of sales.
5. Alternative models
• As of June 2022, there are no plans to manufacture or sell alternative or recommended successor models.
◆List of models to be discontinued in June 2022 < Rod
for Alcance brand bath > JW69MHST ALC–V610M ALC–JW70H ALC–FM71MH ALC–V72MH ALC–HC75XH











OfficeZPI Co., Ltd. Representative Tsuyoshi Kato

Any other info?

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

Looks like just the products listed at the end

[Johnny A]

Looks like just the products listed at the end

I like their oil and the grease. I was also looking at the Zelo handle but I can’t figure out which one is which.

[SSS]

They need to stop wasting everyone's time with their Made In China shovelware and get back at making what they're known for over two decades.

[dragon1]

They need to stop wasting everyone's time with their Made In China shovelware and get back at making what they're known for over two decades.

^^^This^^^

[Johnny A]

They need to stop wasting everyone's time with their Made In China shovelware and get back at making what they're known for over two decades.

^^^This^^^

Yeah but now EVERYBODY needs to produce reels and rods. Think in the past 15 years, everybody with an idea started a company from Bass Master Classic winners to college students to venture capitalists wants to do reels and rods. It’s not even innovation anymore.
Look at when watchmakers built reels in the States, Sweden and Japan. They were innovators and craftsmen. The guys at ZPI were at least enthusiasts, not money men. Freakin’ Kast King started as a college thesis. The opportunities for idea men and women are unparalleled in the history of mankind but the distill it to the lowest common denominator and the consumer gets garbage.

[dragon1]

They need to stop wasting everyone's time with their Made In China shovelware and get back at making what they're known for over two decades.

^^^This^^^

Yeah but now EVERYBODY needs to produce reels and rods. Think in the past 15 years, everybody with an idea started a company from Bass Master Classic winners to college students to venture capitalists wants to do reels and rods. It’s not even innovation anymore.
Look at when watchmakers built reels in the States, Sweden and Japan. They were innovators and craftsmen. The guys at ZPI were at least enthusiasts, not money men. Freakin’ Kast King started as a college thesis. The opportunities for idea men and women are unparalleled in the history of mankind but the distill it to the lowest common denominator and the consumer gets garbage.

This type of market saturation and mass produced material, along with access to cheap/indentured labor...is the main culprit in bankrupting great, innovative companies...it was only a little over a decade ago when a slew of excellent American made rods companies went out of business, and in Japan even the legendary Daiko and very respected and specialized Evola brand.

I miss the days of OG Phenix, Shikari SHX Falcons, Warrior Rods, OG All-Star, US available blanks from Rogue/Shikari/Loomis, and OG made in the USA offshoot companies like American Rodsmiths and Castaway.

[KP Duty]

They need to stop wasting everyone's time with their Made In China shovelware and get back at making what they're known for over two decades.

^^^This^^^

Yeah but now EVERYBODY needs to produce reels and rods. Think in the past 15 years, everybody with an idea started a company from Bass Master Classic winners to college students to venture capitalists wants to do reels and rods. It’s not even innovation anymore.
Look at when watchmakers built reels in the States, Sweden and Japan. They were innovators and craftsmen. The guys at ZPI were at least enthusiasts, not money men. Freakin’ Kast King started as a college thesis. The opportunities for idea men and women are unparalleled in the history of mankind but the distill it to the lowest common denominator and the consumer gets garbage.

This type of market saturation and mass produced material, along with access to cheap/indentured labor...is the main culprit in bankrupting great, innovative companies...it was only a little over a decade ago when a slew of excellent American made rods companies went out of business, and in Japan even the legendary Daiko and very respected and specialized Evola brand.

I miss the days of OG Phenix, Shikari SHX Falcons, Warrior Rods, OG All-Star, US available blanks from Rogue/Shikari/Loomis, and OG made in the USA offshoot companies like American Rodsmiths and Castaway.

Yep. And the companies like all-star/castaway and others chose to sell their brand/reputation to people with the 'shark tank' mentality of focusing on producing the product as cheap as posible for greater margins.

[Johnny A]

They need to stop wasting everyone's time with their Made In China shovelware and get back at making what they're known for over two decades.

^^^This^^^

Yeah but now EVERYBODY needs to produce reels and rods. Think in the past 15 years, everybody with an idea started a company from Bass Master Classic winners to college students to venture capitalists wants to do reels and rods. It’s not even innovation anymore.
Look at when watchmakers built reels in the States, Sweden and Japan. They were innovators and craftsmen. The guys at ZPI were at least enthusiasts, not money men. Freakin’ Kast King started as a college thesis. The opportunities for idea men and women are unparalleled in the history of mankind but the distill it to the lowest common denominator and the consumer gets garbage.

This type of market saturation and mass produced material, along with access to cheap/indentured labor...is the main culprit in bankrupting great, innovative companies...it was only a little over a decade ago when a slew of excellent American made rods companies went out of business, and in Japan even the legendary Daiko and very respected and specialized Evola brand.

I miss the days of OG Phenix, Shikari SHX Falcons, Warrior Rods, OG All-Star, US available blanks from Rogue/Shikari/Loomis, and OG made in the USA offshoot companies like American Rodsmiths and Castaway.

Yep. And the companies like all-star/castaway and others chose to sell their brand/reputation to people with the 'shark tank' mentality of focusing on producing the product as cheap as posible for greater margins.

And that’s one of my problems with the new Abu. The Revo was/is a great reel, to coin a phrase “a game … CHANGER!”. A Zillion 1000 SV TW is possibly the best value in fishing today, Made In Japan, well designed, well built for ~ $250 or so. The Revo MGX-current version, Made in Korea, solid reel but come on. Tell me they can’t build that reel for ~$250?
All Star etc., etc., etc,. once lost, reputation is damn near impossible hard to regain.
Yeah, everybody wants a Benz or Porsche for Kia dollars but it ain’t happening. Now’s the perfect time for craftsmen to produce tackle, reels, rods, lures!