Posted on June 14 2017
After a morning spent at the Orvis Rod Factory, Shawn Combs, Rod & Tackle Divisional Merchandise Manager, and I jumped in his truck for a ride down to the factory where the new "Made in U.S.A." Mirage fly reels, Pliers, and Nippers are being made.
The Mirage fly reel has been a process of several years in the planning, with several different exterior designs with a mind for ease of function, a deep dive into drag systems, and a tremendous amount of work to get everything right. While this design process was going on, Shawn also needed to search out a manufacturing company who would take their ideas and make it a reality. The choice came from a seemingly unlikely source with a story highlighting the company on NPR radio heard on his way into work. That morning Shawn made a phone call to the shop and was put in touch with Norm, owner and fortunately an angler, who was immediately interested in how they could collaborate.
When we arrived at the shop we were given visitor passes and walked back the "Orvis Room" which was a buzz with activity with assembly going on with fly reels, pliers, and nippers. All three items have been in and out of back order along with shops looking for their shipments in the mail as well.
We found Norm at his stand up table station doing final checks on Mirage fly reels which had been completed. It's not often that the boss is this hands on, especially for a project that likely makes less than 1% profit for a company that boasts aerospace automotive, aircraft and beyond contracts.
The next several hours were spent in the "Orvis Room" talking shop and then Norm took us for a walk throughout the facility showing off different pieces of equipment, rooms, meeting technicians, and seeing the complete process how these "Made in U.S.A." items are made. It was certainly impressive and really puts into perspective why things cost the price they cost. Norm has made sure that his company has made the investments have been made to always be on the forefront of technology to handle many different projects while working within the narrowest of tolerances. Precision and exactness are important for fly reels but even more so for equipment pieces that hold up in space, the airways, and on the road.
From all indications, this may be just the start to a "Made in U.S.A." line up of fly reels and tools from Orvis and having a shop that is capable of doing the work and keeping up with demand are essential for success. I believe that they have found it here.
Thanks Norm for the tour and the inside look on how the "Made in U.S.A." gear is made. It certainly makes me appreciate the Mirage fly reel that I've been demoing the past couple of months even more. It's a beautiful piece of gear that so far has functioned flawlessly.
The Mirage fly reel has been a process of several years in the planning, with several different exterior designs with a mind for ease of function, a deep dive into drag systems, and a tremendous amount of work to get everything right. While this design process was going on, Shawn also needed to search out a manufacturing company who would take their ideas and make it a reality. The choice came from a seemingly unlikely source with a story highlighting the company on NPR radio heard on his way into work. That morning Shawn made a phone call to the shop and was put in touch with Norm, owner and fortunately an angler, who was immediately interested in how they could collaborate.
When we arrived at the shop we were given visitor passes and walked back the "Orvis Room" which was a buzz with activity with assembly going on with fly reels, pliers, and nippers. All three items have been in and out of back order along with shops looking for their shipments in the mail as well.
We found Norm at his stand up table station doing final checks on Mirage fly reels which had been completed. It's not often that the boss is this hands on, especially for a project that likely makes less than 1% profit for a company that boasts aerospace automotive, aircraft and beyond contracts.
The next several hours were spent in the "Orvis Room" talking shop and then Norm took us for a walk throughout the facility showing off different pieces of equipment, rooms, meeting technicians, and seeing the complete process how these "Made in U.S.A." items are made. It was certainly impressive and really puts into perspective why things cost the price they cost. Norm has made sure that his company has made the investments have been made to always be on the forefront of technology to handle many different projects while working within the narrowest of tolerances. Precision and exactness are important for fly reels but even more so for equipment pieces that hold up in space, the airways, and on the road.
From all indications, this may be just the start to a "Made in U.S.A." line up of fly reels and tools from Orvis and having a shop that is capable of doing the work and keeping up with demand are essential for success. I believe that they have found it here.
Thanks Norm for the tour and the inside look on how the "Made in U.S.A." gear is made. It certainly makes me appreciate the Mirage fly reel that I've been demoing the past couple of months even more. It's a beautiful piece of gear that so far has functioned flawlessly.
