Chinese OEM rod maker set to produce bamboo models for international market
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Top Chinese OEM rod manufacturer Weihai Hanhigh has produced new bamboo fly rods and blanks which it hopes will prove popular outside China.
The company, a major producer of carbon rods, got the opportunity to develop the new line through a friend of the owner, Qian Gang Wang, who lives in the main bamboo rod production region. He introduced Wang to a producer of bamboo fly rods and blanks, and this has resulted in Weihai Hanhigh launching its own range of products. Wang said: “They are good looking rods that have been handcrafted and will appeal to traditional fly fishermen. The product is niche, but I believe there is a small market out there.
“We will introduce the product and I look forward to gauging reaction and seeing if there are companies willing to take them on. We have had a limited number of carbon fly rods and blanks in our portfolio for a number of years, but have never really pushed them.”
Wang added that OEM business is currently stable, but that with trade and consumer shows across China and throughout the world being cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, promotion of the company’s goods has been an ongoing problem. “Although COVID-19 has not been a problem in Weihai since last May and everything has returned to normal, we were not able to promote our products in 2021. Last year we had planned to attend China Fish, EFTTEX, ICAST and the CGC show in Weihai, but those opportunities were missed and we had to find other ways of getting our products onto the market.”
