Fishing rod specialist beats the crunch with overseas deals

An Engineering company which specialises in the manufacture of fishing rods has witnessed its sales double over the past four years as a result of an overseas export drive and organic growth in Britain.

Since Harrison Advanced Rods was founded in Liverpool in 1989, it has become recognised as one of the world's leading brands and is used by numerous championship anglers.

Today, it manufactures more than 15,000 rods for both the UK and export market.

The company has become best known for its carp rods but it is also at the cutting edge of fly rod development using the latest 'low resin content systems' and lightweight carbon scrims.

In total, it produces around 100 different models of fishing rod.

Over the past 21 years, it has also diversified into the manufacture of other products made from carbon fibre including: tillers and spinnaker polls for sailing boats; paddle shafts for canoes; drive shafts; and conductors' batons.

The firm, which is based in the city's Brunswick Business Park, believes that its ongoing export drive has helped insulate it against the effects of the recession.

Founder Dr Steve Harrison said: Our rods are high-end products which have traditionally been the product of choice for some of the world's leading anglers.

"In 2006 we decided to actively go looking for new business through overseas exporting.

"Since then, we've opened up new markets in Poland, Croatia and Greece - and this has been a major factor in helping us to overcome the effects of the economic downturn in the UK.

"Around half of all our sales now are domestic, another third is exports while the remainder of our sales are made up of supplies we provide to other manufacturers - and these tend to be exported as well.

"Today, we export a lot more than we import - and that's obviously good for this country's balance of trade.

"We have been better positioned to take the domestic dip because we have established new markets overseas."

Harrison Advanced Rods has worked with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) to achieve its overseas growth.
Dr Harrison first approached UKTI to gain financial support for a trade show in Amsterdam.

He soon realised that the organisation's team of international trade advisers (ITAs) could lend insight into numerous overseas markets that the company wanted to break into - including Russia and Asia.

He said: "At the moment, we are expanding in Europe at a gradual rate with which the company is totally comfortable.

"Exports to overseas markets are continuing to grow - particularly to such Eastern European countries as Romania, Croatia and the Czech Republic where carp fishing is very popular.

"As a manufacturer, I've always found it relatively easy to find distributors - but issues arise if you are not in a position to keep up with demand for your product.

"Our manufacturing remains ahead of demand which is helping us to grow at a rate which is right for us."

Dr Harrison attributes much of this overseas growth to the success of UKTI's Passport to Export programme which helps new and inexperienced exporters establish contacts in their desired markets.

International trade adviser Margaret Bourke - who has worked with Harrison Advanced Rods over the past four years - said: "The company had a very strong sense of where it wanted to be in terms of overseas trade locations.

"UKTI was able to assist financially at first, through part-funding for a trade exhibition, but then it was more a case of offering advice on local business customs and the idiosyncrasies of individual markets."

Life-long angling enthusiast Dr Harrison worked as a biologist at Liverpool John Moores University before moving into environmental consultancy work in the mid 1980s.

In 1989, he spotted that there was a gap in the market for high-quality fishing rods and subsequently purchased some manufacturing equipment from America.

He describes the business as a ‘hobby which got out of control’ and believes it took off because of his willingness to say ‘yes’.

Over the past 21 years, Harrison Advanced Rods has grown to employ seven staff, produce 15,000 rods each year and carry out specialist engineering work for the likes of the telescope industry.

A further five staff are directly employed by the firm in their capacity as subcontractors.

Dr Harrison adds: "What set us apart was our flexibility - we were willing to work with partners to develop the kind of rods best suited to their markets.

"We buy in carbon fibre sheets - kilometres of the product - in massive rolls every month. This is then shaped into the rod by combining it with other products and then moulding it around a shaft.
After it has been cured in an oven, the handle and guides are fitted - this tends to be done by the subcontractors."

Dr Harrison believes that the company will continue to win new trade - both in the UK and overseas - on the back of the ‘high-quality’ nature of its products.

He adds: "Once you’ve established a presence in a country, a lot of continued trade is won by word of mouth... the angling community around the world remains closely knit.

"Internet forums are also a very popular way that anglers communicate and I believe that it is becoming imperative for manufacturers to use tools like this as a resource.

"Because we are not a massive company, we are able to respond to our customers’ needs... and that gives us a competitive advantage."