[HowToTrip 2015 ISPOInterview Report] ISPO SHANGHAI 2015Asia Outdoor & Fashion Trade Show grandly opened today at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. As the summer edition of the world’s largest sports exhibition, ISPOin China, ISPO SHANGHAIcovers a total area of 30,000 square meters, bringing together over 400brands, further strengthening the outdoor sports advantage while also gathering new summer categories such as extreme trends, urban fitness, water sports, and travel services. It integrates exhibition displays, interactive experiences, competitions, exchanges, and forum sharing. Well-known outdoor brands such as Mammut(Mammut), Fj(Arctic Fox), Black Diamond, Outdoor Research, Tecnica(Tecnica), Osprey, OAKLEY, Camelbak(CamelBak), water sports brands Point65, Feathercraft, Clipper, Epic, Bateau, Adidas Swimwearas well as fitness and running brands LifeFitness, 2XU, LP, Skinsand Power Balancehave all flocked to the event.
During the exhibition, Green Field Network interviewedPrimus globalCEO Lars-ola Brolinson, and the following is an excerpt from the interview.
Green Field Network: With outdoor products constantly being innovated, how can brands maintain their competitive edge?
Lars-ola Brolinson:PRIMUSOur core competency lies in product innovation. Currently, our brand’s goal is to launch a new series of products each year that is more innovative than others on the market. As an outdoor stove brand, in this field,PRIMUSis the brand that launches the most new products every year, which is the feedback we receive from all our customers. Additionally, our brand has its own R&D studio, a dedicated testing team, and in-house factories that strictly control product quality. Typically, only apparel brands release two collections per year, while professional outdoor gear manufacturers usually release one collection annually. However,PRIMUSlaunches new products in both spring and winter, which is also what sets us apart from other similar products. This allows us to offer our customers a wider range of more innovative products, and it has become an important strategy in our current product development — continuous innovation.
Green Field Network: What new products have you brought to this exhibition? Could you introduce them to us?
Lars-ola Brolinson: We’ve brought three product series: the Adventure Series, representingPRIMUSthe most high-end and precision stoves, suitable for extreme environments such as high altitudes; the Traverse Series,PRIMUSour largest product line, characterized by portability, ultra-lightweight, and integration (stove and gas canister combined), which improves combustion efficiency and reduces carry weight; and the Camping Series, which has been our R&D focus this year. I’ve also brought many new products from this series. After two years of development and design, they’re finally making their debut at this exhibition. The biggest highlight of this series is that it offers a complete camping solution — including stoves, burners, and the cookware needed for camping.
All our R&D and testing are conducted at our headquarters in Sweden, and the products are manufactured in our own factories in Europe. We control the entire production chain ourselves.
Green Field Network: Can you tell us about the design inspiration behind this series of products?
Lars-ola Brolinson:PRIMUSWith100years of history, we have extensive experience in stove product development. From the consumer’s perspective, we continuously explore and develop products that truly meet users’ needs, based on genuine user requirements. While almost all other outdoor stove brands offer similar products, we are committed to creating something different — focusing on the product’s appearance, stability, convenience, and functionality.
We want to enjoy delicious food even during outdoor activities, so we’ve launched our new Camping Series. There may be no five-star hotels in the outdoors, but you can still enjoy a great meal with family and friends. To design this brand-new camping series,PRIMUSour product design team collaborated with outdoor chefs and food experts to gain an in-depth understanding of functional requirements, materials, and detailed design needs. After continuous field testing, thePRIMUSbrand-new Camping Series was finally born, making outdoor life even more enjoyable.
Green Field Network: Many domestic stoves now emphasize being lightweight and portable. What’s your take on that?PRIMUSDo you have any plans in this regard?
Lars-ola Brolinson: Our lightweight products are mainly in the Traverse Series. Although there are no new products in this series this year, portability has always been a feature of our products, and we offer unique functionality in terms of portability.PRIMUSIt has its own unique charm.
Green Field Network: Are your domestic products and European products released simultaneously?
Lars-ola Brolinson: Yes, completely synchronized, because the performance demands for the productsdo nothave national boundaries. In fact, we just held an ordering meeting and received a lot of positive feedback from users.