Golfers often ask us, “What makes your shafts different from others? Why should I play Nippon Shaft?”
The last blog entry briefly touched upon how a steel shaft is made, which is one answer to these questions but let’s briefly look again into manufacturing.
Every top club manufacturer audits potential, as well as current vendors on a regular basis to insure consistent quality. We very proud to hear “clean” and “efficient” after plant tours, but we expect these comments. Why? Nippon Shaft is the only ISO-14000 registered shaft manufacturer.
ISO-14000 is a globally recognized series of standards that provides guidelines for companies to manage their environmental responsibilities. Registration indicates a company’s philosophy to be efficient and mindful of resources and their effects on the environment.
Being an ISO-14000 registered company does NOT guarantee product quality. However, a company without clear goals for efficient production is unlikely to consistently produce high quality products.
Since our plant is located in the farming valley of the Komagane mountain range and surrounded by farms, houses, and river/forested areas, we are morally compelled to discharge clean air and water back into the environment.
Every top club manufacturer audits potential, as well as current vendors on a regular basis to insure consistent quality. We very proud to hear “clean” and “efficient” after plant tours, but we expect these comments. Why? Nippon Shaft is the only ISO-14000 registered shaft manufacturer.
ISO-14000 is a globally recognized series of standards that provides guidelines for companies to manage their environmental responsibilities. Registration indicates a company’s philosophy to be efficient and mindful of resources and their effects on the environment.
Being an ISO-14000 registered company does NOT guarantee product quality. However, a company without clear goals for efficient production is unlikely to consistently produce high quality products.
Since our plant is located in the farming valley of the Komagane mountain range and surrounded by farms, houses, and river/forested areas, we are morally compelled to discharge clean air and water back into the environment.
Supply Chain
Nippon Shaft has been designing and manufacturing golf shafts since 1959. We would not be considered the world’s best shaft manufacturer if we did not have partnerships with vendors of like quality and manufacturing philosophies. Two key vendors are Nisshin Steel and Sun Industry.
Nisshin Steel, founded in 1959, is one of the world’s leading steel manufacturing houses specializing in specialty steels and alloys. After a few years of close cooperation, we co-developed a proprietary spring steel that created the game-changing, legendary N.S.PRO 950GH, the world’s first sub-100 grams constant weight steel irons shafts.
In 2014, Nisshin and Nippon Shaft again shook the industry by co-developing the proprietary NZNS60, allowing us to manufacture the world’s lightest steel shaft series, N.S.PRO Zelos, that are steel shafts with playing characteristics of a light weight carbon fiber iron shafts.
Sun Industry has been one of the world’s leading material finishing companies since it’s inception in 1949. Certified ISO-9001 and ISO-14001, Sun provides a variety of finishes for the electronic, automotive and other specialty industries.
All steel Nippon Shaft products are zinc-nickel electroplated on a dedicated line and returned to us in foam containers. 100% of the shafts are visually inspected at Sun (and Nippon Shaft), before and after plating to insure full surface protection on a fully polished shaft surface.
Part 2 of Why NS will contain more details on products.
Thanks for reading this blog.
