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I DON’T BELIEVE THERE IS A ONE-

SIZE-FITS-ALL APPROACH AND

WE’VE PROVED OVER THE YEARS
THAT WHILST YOU HAVE A FEW

CORE PRODUCTS, DIFFERENT

MARKETS REQUIRE SUBTLE
CHANGES IN SOME ITEMS. AS
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A SUPPLIER WE DO OUR BEST leE
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TO LISTEN TO OUR CUSTOMERS r/P
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SPECIFIC USERS ‘NEEDS’
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It’s also important to me to look after our staf well, so they stay with us and understand the products we make. Our facilities are nothing

at all like some of the horror stories you hear of about working conditions in China, and I’m proud of the way we’ve achieved this.

BG: How do you see today’s market – where is the industry going? What is missing?
AK: A lot of paddling still requires dedicated specialized equipment, which although quite competitive in cost compared to other
sports is still a little bit strange looking when viewed by someone new to the sport. Right now we are driving hard at versatility and

simplicity, making kayak kit that performs how you need it to but is simple to use and looks good when doing so. As for what’s
missing I’ll keep those thoughts for my design team!

BG: You have a large line of products ranging from sea
kayaking and whitewater, to rafting, safety and even
AS WELL AS INNOVATION TO CONSTANTLY IMPROVE supplying ireighters and lifeboats in the UK. Are there
any diiculties with having such a large range?
OUR OWN PRODUCTS, WE ARE CONSTANTLY
LOOKING AT DESIGN, FASHION AND INNOVATION IN AK: We do produce a huge range of products and I’d
be lying if I said keeping up with supply was easy or
OTHER INDUSTRIES. IT’S BEEN OUR MISSION FOR always possible. I don’t believe there is a one-size-its-
all approach and we’ve proved over the years that whilst
THE PAST FEW YEARS TO NOT JUST SELL PADDLING you have a few core products, diferent markets require
GEAR, BUT ALSO TO SELL PADDLING AS A SPORT TO subtle changes in some items. As a supplier we do our

THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY.
best to listen to our customers and tailor what we ofer
to speciic users’ needs.

BG: Dagger Europe has been part of Palm
Equipment for many years now – explain to us how that works?
AK: Dagger USA, together with Bob and I, share a very similar philosophy towards innovation, safety and quality so it was natural for

us to invest in a facility to produce the Dagger designs in the UK. We now produce about 80% of the range here and work closely on
new model design, which nowadays is a very diferent game from the time when I shaped up plugs in my shed.

BG: What is the situation with Palm in North America – is that the next big step for you?
AK: We’ve sold Palm in the States before and are certainly sure there are paddlers there who’d like to have our gear, but it’s a big
place and would need to be handled properly. For now we are concentrating on looking after our growing market at home and

throughout Europe.

BG: You have hired some well-known faces from the paddling industry to work at Palm, such as Paul ‘Cheesy’ Robertson and
Seppi Strohmeier, amongst others. What do these people bring to the company?
AK: Well, Paul is great at breaking my prototype gear for starters. Having testers who can really abuse their paddling kit is great for

letting me know a product’s limits. It’s very important for Palm to keep our feet on the ground, staying connected to the core of the
sport, and that’s what these guys do. However, Paul, Seppi and others we now employ are not just paddlers, they are professionals
with degrees and expertise that helps our business stay ahead on and of the water.

BG: Your presence at Paddle Expo has been growing for many years now. Why is it such an important event for Palm?
AK: We keep developing more and more new products, so we need the space to show of our gear! For me it is important to show where we

are as a company and also as an industry that is mature and professional. We put in a big efort and appreciate the others who do, too. It’s
important to stay in touch with our customers and ind out what we need to do as a company, and as an industry, to keep moving forward.

BG: Are you looking into the Stand Up Paddling market at all?
AK: It’s an exciting and growing market, and this year we have created many products that are great for stand up paddle boarding,
such as our neoflex range, and Atlas multisport jacket. We’re experts within the canoeing and kayaking market, whilst the SUP

industry is new to everybody. We’ll see how it grows and look for places to develop new gear. I’m not really interested in churning out
the same ideas as everybody else.

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