ProKennex
{{Short description|Taiwanese manufacturer of tennis racquets}}
{{Infobox company
| name = ProKennex
| logo = Prokennex logo.png
| logo_size = 250
| image = ProKennex Ovation Flight 2022.png
| image_caption = Ovation Flight pickleball paddle
| type = Subsidiary
| foundation = {{start date and age|1978}} [http://www.pro-kennex.com/contact/about.html About Pro Kennex]
| location = Taichung, Taiwan[http://www.taiwantrade.com.tw/MAIN/en_front/searchserv.do?method=listProductCompanyDetail&company_id=164162 Taiwantrade]
| key_people = Lo Kunnan
| area_served = Worldwide
| industry = Sporting goods
| products = Racquet sports equipment and accessories
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| num_employees =
| parent = Kunnan Enterprise Ltd.
| subsid =
| brands =
| homepage = {{URL|https://www.prokennex.com/|prokennex.com}}
| footnotes =
}}
ProKennex is a Taiwanese manufacturer of racquet sports equipment for tennis, squash, badminton, racquetball, and pickleball. The company enjoyed wide global distribution in the 1980s, when manufacturing in Taiwan was booming due to domestic economic conditions. Parent company Kunnan Enterprise Ltd. has faced financial difficulties since the mid 1990s, leading to a contraction of the ProKennex name globally.[http://www.sports.org.tw/ENGLISH/Reports/rep_racket.htm Getting Back Into The Swing of Things: Sports Rackets] Today, the company focuses on a niche set of consumers interested in technology advancements in racquet sports. The company focuses on this aspect of its products by promoting itself as a "science and design company", rather than a standard racket manufacturer.[http://www.prokennex.com/ ProKennex Official Website]
History
The origins of the company began in 1965 when Lo Kunnan, the son of a plastic toy gun manufacturer, began producing wooden badminton racquets in the backyard of his father's house.[http://www.pro-kennex.com/contact/about.html About Pro Kennex] In 1968, Lo moved on to producing wooden tennis racquets, followed by aluminum racquets in 1973.
In 1969, Lo launched sporting goods company Kunnan Enterprises Ltd.; it quickly became the world's biggest badminton producer.
|url=https://www.gvm.com.tw/article/12984
|title=現身說法1〉前光男企業董事長 羅光男 過去的成功經驗，導致對未來太樂觀
|date=2009-03-04
|publisher=遠見
|access-date=2023-02-19
}}
The company began branding their rackets in 1978.
|url=http://pro-kennex.com/contact/about.html
|title=About Pro Kennex
|publisher=Pro Kennex
|access-date=2023-02-13
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025062030/http://pro-kennex.com/contact/about.html |archive-date=2013-10-25 |url-status=dead}}
The brand was originally called "Kennedy", named after the President of the United States John F. Kennedy. Later, because the presidential brand was deemed too political, it was renamed to "Kennex"; then to "ProKennex" ({{lang-zh|「肯尼士」}}) to avoid conflict with tennis ball maker "Tennex".
|url=http://c.cari.com.my/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1153184
|title=Pro-Kennex -- 被遗忘的品牌奋斗史
|date=March 22, 2008
|publisher=財訊月刊
|access-date=2023-02-19
}}
They made the world's first mid-size graphite tennis racquet in 1980, followed by the world's first graphite squash racquet in 1983.[http://www.prokennexboarders.com.au/index.php?id=11 About Us] ProKennex also began using carbon fiber technology and exporting to other countries via a U.S. company. By 1980, it grew to be the world's largest tennis racket manufacturer; its rackets were sold in more than 60 countries, accounting for 1/4 of the global market.
|url=https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=8,29,32,45&post=13405
|title=Charging the most because we make the best
|date=1982-09-01
|website=Taiwan Today
|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan)
|access-date=2023-02-19
}}
At that time, ProKennex owned the world's largest tennis racket factory, and it also made rackets for other global brands such as Prince, Dunlop, Fischer, and Adidas.
|last=李
|first=瑟
|date=1982-06-01
|url=https://www.cw.com.tw/article/5103291
|title=網球拍出的天下
|newspaper=天下雜誌
|issue=13
}}
|last=楊
|first=小萍
|date=March 1983
|url=https://www.taiwanpanorama.com.tw/zh/Articles/Details?Guid=e31099dc-8468-4abd-be17-73a3ef5b0937
|title=講求方法或堅持理想——肯尼士與赫芝皆不願做無「名」英雄
|newspaper=台灣光華雜誌
|publisher=Taiwan Panorama
}}
Professional tennis players sponsored by ProKennex included Li Na and Peng Shuai.
|url=https://www.pp918.com/brandshow/brandinfo_13938.html
|title=肯尼士PROKENNEX
|access-date=2023-02-13
|publisher=品牌之家
}}
The company became known as the "Taiwan miracle".
|last=夏
|first=幼文
|date=2010-01-04
|url=https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20100104000099-260202
|title=光男肯尼士敗在急躁
|newspaper=工商時報
|publisher=China Times Group
|accessdate=2023-02-19
}}
During this heyday period, ProKennex began to make other sporting goods such as golf clubs, fishing rods, sneakers, and sportswear. Its parent company Kunnan Enterprises also expanded into unfamiliar ventures including computer, securities, and construction companies, and tried to start up a commercial bank.
|last=蘇
|first=育琪
|date=1987-11-01
|url=https://www.cw.com.tw/article/5038738
|title=羅光男的二十億豪賭
|newspaper=天下雜誌
|issue=78
}}
ProKennex even owned a large hotel ({{lang-zh|「肯尼士太飯店」}}) in Taichung, now called "Grand City Hotel" ({{lang-zh|「五都大飯店」}}).
|last=莊
|first=明勳
|date=2014-06-15
|url=https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20140615000427-260107
|title=五都大飯店開幕 胡志強細數歷史
|newspaper=中國時報
|publisher=China Times Group
|accessdate=2023-02-19
}}
|last1=湯
|first1=智斌
|last2=陳
|first2=秋雲
|last3=林佩均
|first3=佩均
|date=2014-03-18
|url=https://paper.udn.com/udnpaper/PID0019/255073/web/
|title=4星級飯店進駐 盼找回豐原繁華
|newspaper=中彰投新聞報
|publisher=聯合報
|accessdate=2023-01-05
}}
But the expansion and diversification proved too ambitious and complex; mounting financial liabilities forced Kunnan Enterprises into bankruptcy in 2000.
In 2002, ProKennex reorganized to focus on racket sports and Lo Kunnan retired from the business he founded.
Related companies
- Kennex is a separate entity from the reorganization and uses a similar company logo; it markets household items.{{cite web |url=https://www.kennex.com.tw/about.php |title=關於我們 |publisher=Kennex |access-date=2023-02-19 }}
- 拓凱實業 is the global leader in carbon fiber tennis racket manufacturing; its founder 沈文振 is a former vice president at Kunnan.{{cite news |date=2019-04-09 |url=https://www.storm.mg/lifestyle/1151776 |title=把關鍵技術賣給對手，竟反而救回公司！他做網球拍衝到世界第一，證明和氣真的也能生大財 |publisher=哈佛商業管理評論 |accessdate=2023-02-19 }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.prokennex.com/}}
{{Sports equipment brands}}
Category:1978 establishments in Taiwan
Category:Companies based in Taichung
Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1978
Category:Tennis equipment manufacturers