Happy 10th Anniversary Hotstart Asia Pacific
Monday, November 1st is the 10th Anniversary of Hotstart Asia Pacific, Ltd. (HAP), one of Hotstart’s subsidiaries located in Tokyo, Japan. Wow - 10 years! Congratulations to Team HAP and all the Hotstart people who have supported this effort, particularly our shareholders, management team and customers.
As a company, Hotstart made its first business trip to Japan in May 2005 as part of a larger strategy to develop more international sales. A customer survey we conducted with prospects in that region revealed that having a local presence would be an important factor to our success. The trip allowed us to investigate how we could cover the whole world with our products and services beyond our Spokane facility. Japan was where we chose to start in Asia because of the untapped potential to develop business relationships with Japanese engine manufacturers.
International trade shows were part of the initial outreach to the Asia Pacific region.
The May trip was my first business trip since I joined the company in 2004. At that time, I was studying International Management at Whitworth University in the evenings while working for Hotstart in the customer service department during the daytime. I flew to Tokyo one day after my graduation ceremony and joined two salespeople who had arrived ahead of me. I recall how I didn’t know yet how to best position our sales information to the customers, so I ended up carrying the brochures and acted as a tour guide. Luckily enough, I had more opportunities over the next 6 years to learn how to position our solutions with Japanese OEMs. In 2011, I was assigned the challenge to move to Tokyo and start a sales office, establishing that critical local presence we have today.
The process of opening the office and registering the Japanese corporation registration in Tokyo started right after the massive earthquake hit the north-east region of Japan in March, 2011. I still remember visiting local customers whose families and businesses had experienced severe damage due to the tsunami from the earthquake. The scenery we saw then was indescribable and unforgettable. Despite the tragedy, they welcomed us and really appreciated our visits. Even though we had yet to open our office there, our team in Spokane didn’t hesitate to raise donations to help with recovery efforts in Japan in support of our new community there.
With the help of our brand agency Klündt-Hosmer, we designed "Hope 2 Japan" t-shirts to raise money to help those impacted by the 2011 tsunami. We sold them at that year's Bloomsday road race held in Spokane, WA.
I honestly need to say it really took a while to establish trustworthy business relationships in Japan. Customers did not know who we were and what we could do for them. However, I’m proud to say that all the customers we called on during that trip in 2005 became good long-term customers that we continue to work with today. We were also able to leverage the business relationships we built in Japan to acquire new business in Asia and Europe.
Over the last 10 years, we’ve learned the Asia Pacific market has high expectations in terms of on-time delivery, product quality, and aftersales service. Occasionally it was more than we can handle and there were moments we struggled meet those expectations. However, Hotstart didn’t stop trying and HAP staff has always worked to break through our challenges.
Having an office in Tokyo enhances our relationships with other Asian customers as well. Needless to say, it was more convenient for us to visit them and exchange timely communication from Tokyo than Spokane. HAP has a skilled Chinese team that work directly with our Chinese partners and key customers. The Asia-Pacific region HAP is responsible for covers from India to New Zealand. I’m truly thankful for how HAP members provide timely support to customers in these countries.
Numerous colleagues from Hotstart have visited the Tokyo office over the years. We have always appreciated these visitors supporting us during customer meetings, trainings, and updates they provided us. But, more than anything, it was just fun to spend some time together and feel like we were one team working towards the same goals. The Tokyo office is located far from Spokane, Washington and time zone differences means someone is staying up late or getting up early for calls or video meetings. Despite that, we found a way to work together. I recognize the tireless effort from both offices are a big part of our success in Asia.
Being in Tokyo doesn't mean we aren't connected to our fellow Hotstart team members. Prior to 2020, sales and engineering people traveled to Japan from Spokane and Europe to support the local team. Video conferencing has been essential for keeping in touch during the pandemic travel restrictions.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic put us in a difficult position and Japan was no exception. My Tokyo life ended in the beginning of 2017 when I moved to Germany to oversee the expansion of our European office. I have not been able to visit my Tokyo office since January, 2020 and none of Hotstart colleagues have visited in almost two years. Yet, Team HAP has been strong leaning on the solid foundation we’ve established. They covered each other and were always flexible to deal with uncertainty they had to face. I really hope we can freely travel again to Japan soon and congratulate what they have accomplished in person.
Even after my move in 2017, I was always happy to visit HAP not only because I’m originally from Japan, but also because of the team we have there. Asia continues to be a key region for our growth and we must keep paying attention to new technology and markets from there. I expect the value of our local presence is more important than ever and I continue to rely on our team at HAP for continued success. Our journey is only starting and we shall enjoy our adventure for sure.
As a side note, one of advantage of living and working in Tokyo is food. Tokyo has the most Michelin starred restaurants in the world. There are also so many amazing street foods choices there. If you have a chance to visit Tokyo, I’m happy to share my gourmet lists!
Happy 10th Anniversary Hotstart Asia Pacific! Thank you to all the people who have helped us and been part of the team over the years. We couldn't have done it without you!