The latest program of 'Esto es Pádel', a space co-produced by Padel World Press y Capital Radio, had two very special guests ... In it, we could talk with Antonio Navarro and Vicente Ribes, Manager and Commercial Director of Kelme Paddle, together with those of us who learned about the pillars, philosophy and work system of the prestigious firm.
Padel World Press .- Project every day more consolidated in the world of padel, with a significant presence in Valencian lands and with a growing influence in different points both in Spain and internationally, the top managers of this company were very satisfied by the steps taken and along the way since they started their adventure in this wonderful sport.
With a global plan that is being established thanks to a solid and secure base, one of its fundamental objectives was to start building clubs in our country and also far from our borders. In that sense, Antonio Navarro told us: "We have taken steps forward in the 'Project 360' of Kelme, to open clubs outside of Spain not only with the name of Kelme but also with another naming. Hopefully we can give you the big news shortly. We are in very advanced negotiations that, among other things, would make us arrive in Dubai. The training programs are implicit to the project of setting up a club because the idea is that we train both the monitors and the managers. "
When talking about the market situation, and from his role as Commercial Director, Vicente Ribes said: "It is true that the market is complicated but we have to keep doing things according to our DNA. We are going little by little, with a lot of logic, and we want that to be our way of growing. We are not going to enter into any war because, in the end, that is not good for anyone. "
Focusing on the analysis of the new collection, Ribes added: "We are betting on doing different things, especially in the High Range, to get away from what the rest do. We work a lot with carbon and, for example, with Jackal, we have created the only shovel in the market with two independent rubber bands within the same model. The central 'claw' has a softer rubber to favor its playability while on the outside it has a harder rubber to favor its sticking. One of our priorities was to get people to test our shovels. We have a variety of very large options despite having few models. We are sure that there will always be a shovel that will please every type of user, regardless of their styles or their level of play. The truth is that whenever the fans try them we have a very positive feedback. "
Asked about the importance of R&D for Kelme, Antonio Navarro highlighted: “Research and development are very important for Kelme. There are some firms that have only one type of rubber and with it they develop the entire collection. In our case, we have a minimum of three different rubbers distributed in our nine models ... And within each rubber there are different compositions between fiberglass, carbon fiber, and carbon thicknesses, which also have a lot of influence, and which makes each blade different. When we have already tested the models for several months, when we have already seen that it responds well and that it does not cause pain in the elbow, etc., that is when we put it on the market ”.
What does it mean for them to have the support of Kelme? As Navarro pointed out: “Having Kelme's support has been very important in order to launch our products. In addition, within the brand we have great support both in textiles and footwear. Where they do not reach, which is in the hard material, we are. On the other hand, I anticipate that in shoes we will go from the specific, but very basic line of padel, to another of the High Range, much improved. It will hit the market between September and October. It is the first footwear collection in which we have been able to 'influence' the brand and, in fact, we will have exclusivity ... They will not be sold on the usual Kelme channel but will be done through Kelme Pádel ”.
One of its novelties for this campaign has been the inclusion of the Quality Seal in all its models. Asked about the reasons that led them to start this initiative, the Manager of the firm explained: “The Quality Seal supposes an extra cost but we decided to assume it because we saw it as something necessary. With this, what we want is to control our product as much as possible: where it is, who is selling it and at what price. Respect for price is fundamental in our policy. We are not going to allow prices or other practices to burst… In the end, the user, the player, are being deceived… We are trying to avoid the fraud and the picaresque that has been installed in the market for years ”.
To finish, Vicente Ribes spoke of the great efforts they must make to remain faithful to the policy and philosophy that they defended and will defend while they are in the world of paddle tennis: “It is very difficult to maintain a philosophy like ours in a market like that of the paddle. This sport is a very special world in that sense, but we are very clear about our lines of action. We know that we could sell much more than what we are doing but we do not want to enter that war. We are doing things as we think is the most appropriate way and with which we trust to be able to spend a long time on the paddle ”.
Do not hesitate and listen to the full program ... This is 'This is Paddle', a new meeting point for all lovers of this wonderful sport.
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