In America, especially from a manufacturing perspective, we see Japan as a land of efficiency and honor. Most of us have only been exposed the idea of the Japanese people living the “Toyota Way”, but there is so much more to Japan and their people than the originators of lean manufacturing. They are incredibly caring and hospitable, and I believe those characteristics give them a distinct advantage in creating amazing experiences for their customers. Recently on a trip to visit our Centurion & Supreme Boats dealer in Japan, LIB (Life is Better), this realization became abundantly clear to me.
LIB has been a Centurion & Supreme Boats dealer since 2017. They approached us with the intent to become a dealer in 2017. Armed with a PowerPoint presentation that highlighted the fact that the 2020 Olympics would be in Tokyo and for the first time include ocean surfing they made a strong case for us to include them in our dealer network.
In the summer of 2018 I traveled to Lake Biwa, Japan where the dealer known as Rotary Pier 88 at the time, was hosting the first Japan Wake Surf Open. As a relatively new dealer, they did not have a ton of boats or Centurion customers yet, but after visiting their resort on Lake Biwa where the event was held, I quickly realized they were unlike any dealer I had ever encountered.
Fast forward to the summer of 2024, now LIB, which stands for Life is Better on the water, hosted their 5th Japan Wake Surf Open. Shell Buchner, Events Coordinator and Team Manager, and I were fortunate enough to attend and I was impressed by the strides they have made since my last visit.
Now with 7 dealerships in Japan that includes a newly opened facility on the island of Okinawa, Japan, they own over 90% of the market with Centurion and Supreme boats in their country. Katsu, LIB’s owner, is an incredible businessman, but I believe an even better marketer. When visiting LIB at Rotary Pier 88, their resort and marina on Lake Biwa you aren’t sure if you are at a dealership or Centurion Boats headquarters. The Centurion Warrior is everywhere you look. Katsu has incorporated the Centurion Boats brand into every aspect of his marine business making it impossible to tell where Centurion ends and LIB begins.
Our two companies are one and the same in the eyes of LIB customers, which is a phenomenal accomplishment from a branding perspective, but is also extremely endearing to me. Katsu has taken his branding and ours a step further by partnering with a luxury outdoor clothing brand, Muta. Muta Edition Centurion boats as well as cobranded Centurion/ Muta gear are everywhere you look at his dealerships. Together with his business manager and excellent translator, Nobi, Katsu has built Centurion Boats into the number 1 recognized surf boat brand in Japan. But it is not just branding and high-profile partnerships that have created this dynamic. The meticulous attention to an excellent customer experience the LIB team creates is the real power behind this success.
As you might imagine, Japan is highly populated country that must be extremely efficient with space so towing and storing boats is a challenge. LIB provides a complete customer experience by selling, servicing, transporting boats to the water and in some cases captaining boats for customers. At Rotary Pier 88, Centurion & Supreme Boats owners can even come in after an epic day of surfing on Lake Biwa for a nice dinner poolside before they head home. But even before a customer takes delivery of their new Centurion or Supreme LIB provides a remarkable experience.
LIB takes the marketing assets created by the factory, translates the copy and specs, then formats the information for easy consumption by the Japanese customer. They are extremely thorough in the communication of our products, and they present the information in such a polished, beautiful way. It makes Centurion & Supreme Boats look like the only choice for a wake surf boat. And when a LIB customer makes that choice, and orders a Centurion or Supreme boat, then experience goes above and beyond!
When I was in Japan last month, I had the great opportunity to witness a new boat delivery. We were just pulling into Rotary Pier 88 past rows and rows of customer owned Centurions and Supremes, and I noticed a new 2024 Centurion Ri230 on the hoist getting ready to be launched into the water with small crowds around it. The small crowd was the family who ordered this Centurion. They upgraded from a Vi22 to this Ri230. The boat had a ribbon tied to the bow eye and there were LIB teammates pouring champagne for the adults and apple cider for the children surrounding the boat. I guess I had just missed the first part of the delivery ritual which included the family spraying the Ri230 with champagne! I was relieved that they didn’t break the bottle on it and what a fun substitute. Next, they took a group picture in-front of the boat and then Katsu presented each family member with a gift of Centurion/Muta branded gear. Then the boat was launched in the water and the family was taken out by an LIB team member to experience their new boat for the first time. This process was one of the coolest things I have ever seen at a boat dealership.
LIB has elevated the Centurion and Supreme brands in the eyes of Japanese buyers to a level none of us could have imagined. I can’t express how proud and appreciative I was to be a representative of our company there in Japan with an amazing partner like LIB. I wanted to share this story with all of you so you can share in this pride. Stories like this would be impossible without the hard work each of you put in every day. Thank you for making Centurion & Supreme Boats an international sensation!!
Amy Mauzy
Vice President of Marketing and Brand Direction
About Centurion Boats: Creating the World’s best waves, wakes and ride since 1976, Centurion is a towed water sports boat manufacturer built on innovation and commitment to excellence. As a Correct Craft Company, we are charged with “Making Lives Better”. We embody this phrase with the boats we build along with the lives we live on and off the water. Centurion Boats is the perfect ride every time. To learn more about Centurion Boats, visit http://www.centurionboats.com.
About Correct Craft: Celebrating 99 years of excellence in the marine industry, Correct Craft is a Florida-based company with global operations. Focused on “Making Life Better,” the Correct Craft family includes Nautique, Centurion, Supreme, Bass Cat, Yar-Craft, SeaArk, Parker, and Ingenity boat companies, Pleasurecraft Engine Group, Indmar Marine Engines, Velvet Drive Transmissions, Mach Connections, Merritt Precision, Osmosis, Watershed Innovation, and Aktion Parks. For more information, please visit www.correctcraft.com