I will be helping out with all Loomis related topics from now on. The same is also true for Power Pro.

Pretty soon my work shirt is going to look like a professional bass anglers shirt. With all the companies I work with now it will look like I'm sponsored ;D

Should we ask you G Loomis & Power Pro Questions in the Shimano Product Support Forum or will there be a new forum created for each?

Well we are going to work that out with the owner of the site. My boss needs to speak with him and get things rolling. I plan to have Shimano, Power Pro and GLoomis all the same forum. I have it this way on a few sites right now. For now you can post questions on this forum or the Shimano forum unless the moderators say otherwise.

Hmm...

I consider creating technique specific rod series an innovative

marketing concept. I don't know that G. Loomis came up with

the idea, but they have perfected it!

Introducing a "better rod" series (GLX) when the IMX was already

considered "the best" is interesting, too. Squeezing out a

25-30% pricing mark-up for 5% "improvement" seems like

another clever business decision.

I guess I don't share the view that G. Loomis has been "static"

for fifteen years. New product designations have tweaked rod

design to make them oh-so-slightly specific for designated tasks.

I assure you, you do not need a SMR to fish for smallmouth.

On the otherhand, I mostly fish a PR844S which I suspect is

not even a consideration for most smallmouth fishermen!

8-)

I'm looking at it in a relative sense.  Compared to the product changes made at all of the major rod or reel companies over the last 15 years...  Loomis has had the fewest changes (IMO).  In particular I was talking in relation to Shimano.  How many rod or reel series from Shimano are the same as they were 15 years ago?  Look at the changes made to their flagship (Curado) over that time frame.

I don't think there's any way Loomis rods will undergo that dramatic of a change, but with a much different management philosophy comes change.

Management at Loomis will not change. The same people will still be in charge. Now they may have some influence from our management, but nothing drastic. It will be more focused at being innovative again and not changing what they currently produce. Most of the changes in the near future will be aimed at increasing production and improving quality.

Management at Loomis will not change. The same people will still be in charge. Now they may have some influence from our management, but nothing drastic. It will be more focused at being innovative again and not changing what they currently produce. Most of the changes in the near future will be aimed at increasing production and improving quality.

The NSM at Loomis is stepping down & being taken over by the Shimano NSM.

How many rod or reel series from Shimano are the same as they were 15 years ago?

I'd bet some cash that if they had IMX and GLX,  they would still be offered.  When your product is the industry's benchmark, there aren't many compelling reasons to discontinue making it.  

OK you got me on the National Sales Manager. I believe Jim Lebson was in charge, but I could be mistaken.

Jim Lebson has stepped into the role of Executive Director; Steve Rajeff G.Loomis' world-class fly, spin and casting rod expert and rod designer, leads the engineering department; Willie Cates continues as Director of Manufacturing; Lisa Cates remains Director of Operations; Bruce Holt has a new role in brand communications and product development.

We will be handling sales, marketing and customer service. Chris Hess was the marketing manager at GLoomis and now he is here at Shimano as the marketing manager for all of our brands. Carey Graves is our NSM and he will be in charge of sales for Loomis. Brian Nolte will be in charge of customer service.

Shimano bringing Carey Graves back was an excellent move.

If ANYONE is reading "the sky is falling" or similar from any of my posts, that is not the intent, nor the way I feel.  I'm just saying I see the possible changes on the horizon.  Not like the moving of production, or elimination of IMX.  But perhaps some pricing changes & maybe an increase in new product introductions.

Yes I am glad Carey is back. He is a great person and does a fantastic job with sales.

I was told there will be no pricing changes unless cost of materials rises again. I know one of the carbon suppliers makes some material exclusively for GLoomis since there was no use for it in the aerospace industry. They could decide to raise the pricing or stop making it at any point. Lets hope that doesn't happen.

The real question is, will that continue to be the case as Loomis is completely incorporated into the Shimano company next year? While they've been owned by Shimano for a while, they've still had their own management, and operated as a seperate entity.

J Francho, until this year (actually started last year) Loomis hadn't made any signifcant changes to their rod production procedures since the day they started. But they've grown so much that their procedures were actually creating HUGE problems for them. They've now finished re-training all their rod builders & incorporated new procedures that should be a huge cost savings for them.

We have owned the company since 1997 and no changes have been made to the way they do business, build rods or design rods. There are some changes starting at the end of this year. The one affecting you most will be customer service. Shimano will start handling customer service related issues starting soon. I do not have an official date because one has not been set yet. As of right now lets say December 1, 2009, maybe earlier. Nothing will change as far as the Xpeditor Service program or warranty programs. Everything will remain the same as far as warranty processes are concerned.

There have been some rumors flying around that we will be taking GLoomis overseas for production. This is not true at all. We have no intentions of changing what Loomis does or taking production to our factories. GLoomis will continue to build high tech rods at the factory in Woodland, WA. They want to focus on being a manufacturer and develop rods as they have done since 1985. GLoomis is a rod factory focused on building high performance rods. This will be the only factory to produce GLoomis rods for both the US and internationally.

With Shimano taking over all aspects of sales, marketing and customer service this allows for some growth and has allowed time for improved qualtiy training at the factory. With our assistance in these areas GLoomis has been able to update the manufacturing process and develop more efficient production processes. This means that they will be able to increase production with an even higher level of quality than before.

I have been to shimano in irvine for reel services and everytime it was top notch. A lot of times get more than expected. So if shimano handles customer service for g loomis then does that mean if I ever happen to break a loomis rod (which has not happen yet), can I walk into shimano in irvine and walk out w/ a new rod Minus the shipping cost? How is that going to work?

Another question is will loomis ever have an upgrade program like st croix where you can bring in one rod and choose to upgrade to another more expensive model by paying the difference?

As for their warranty, my brand new rod is on the way to me as a replacement for the one that broke.

I cannot say anything negative about G. Loomis.

In my book, they are the best!  

Redsyn-

The warranty procedure will reamin exactly the same as it is right now. The rods will need to be shipped to GLoomis in WA. We are not going to handle warranty replacements at our location in Irvine. This could change in the future but from what I have been told they want to keep it in WA.

As far as an upgrade program I do not think this will happen.