What Yonex’s new racket factory says about the company and India

It would take two more decades for Pullela Gopichand to become the second Indian to win the All England title. But since then, India has been producing champions on an assembly line. Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu were both ranked No. 1 in the world, and Sindhu officially won the World Championships. On the men’s front, Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya Sen have emerged as world champions. And India scripted history last year by winning the Thomas Cup – the world team championship – beating badminton powerhouse and 14-time Thomas Cup winners Indonesia in the process.

This growing dominance of Indian players has fueled massive public interest in the sport – both in terms of players and followers. India has its own premier badminton league, now in its sixth edition, which brings the world’s top shuttlers to India. In addition, there are 250 prize-money tournaments every year.

This has increased the demand for shuttle badminton equipment – and global badminton equipment manufacturers are coming to India.

And where the fans go, there comes the investment.

Yonex, the Japanese sports goods maker, is investing in a second manufacturing plant in India exclusively to manufacture badminton rackets. The company already has a plant near Bangalore. Established in 2016, it manufactures approximately 800,000–900,000 aluminum T-joint rackets, which are used by beginners and amateur players of the game.

Even as Yonex expects revenue to grow by 15-20% and plans to ramp up capacity to about 2.5-3 million racquets at the first plant, the second plant will be entirely dedicated to high-end, all-graphite jointless racquets. Will be devoted to construction, which is serious. Players and professionals use. At a press conference to announce the investment, Ben Yoneyama, president of Yonex Japan, said that India doing the “unthinkable” by lifting the Thomas Cup was the impetus for considering high-end manufacturing equipment in India.

Of course, the drama of Chinese rival Li Ning, who attracted Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, both top brand ambassadors of Yonex, with mega sponsorship deals would have been an added incentive. Li Ning does not manufacture rackets in India, but sources some sporting goods locally.

The point is that just like cricket, the growing success of Indians on the global stage has inspired millions to play badminton, leading to substantial investment by domestic and foreign players in all aspects of the sport.

As a country, we do not spend much on sports. The headlines in the current year’s budget said it was India’s “highest-ever” outlay on sports. But in Rs. 3,062.60 crore, sports expenditure is a small fraction of the government’s total expenditure budget 39.44 trillion.

Modestly, the outlay increased by 11%, which is barely more than inflation. The bulk of the increased outlay went to the “Khelo India” programme, with an amount set aside as “prizes and incentives” to athletes who win prizes in national and international competitions. The Sports Authority of India, the nodal body for sports training for all national-level individual and team sports, in fact saw its allocation cut.

But there is good reason to increase the outlay on sports, an investment that pays off for the economy. Expenditure focused in the past on training potential champion athletes, as well as substantially increased prizes for medal winners at global competitions, has not only boosted the country’s image as a sporting nation but also brought in investment and spurred economic activity. have also helped promote; Especially in sports where India – or Indians – start winning on the global stage.

This should be the goal of a well-designed sports expenditure policy. By creating infrastructure, leading the training of potential champions and encouraging performance, the government can not only inspire millions of people to take up a sport and adopt a more active and healthy lifestyle, which has its own public health dividend but also “ There is also “crowd”. Private investment to handle the next phase of development. So that, unlike badminton where there is no draw tie, it is a win-win for all.