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| Samples of grass were brought back from various countries (The photographs depict samples taken in France.) |
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The HR21, Honda's first walk-behind lawn mower, was launched in August 1978 in overseas markets including the U.S. The high-quality lawn mower equipped with a vertical engine, which ensured quiet operation and significantly easier starting, received rave reviews for its outstanding performance, safety and durability. Sales were strong from the start, growing steadily to the point that in 1985, when sister models were introduced, Honda boasted total sales of 330,000 units from its line of lawn mowers.
Worldwide sales in excess of 300,000 units also led to the realization of Honda's ultimate goal. Assuming that 150,000 units were sold in the U.S. and Europe, respectively, these figures meant that networks of around 1,500 retail stores had been created on the two continents.
"In the end," Ogano said, "the creation of sales networks was a result of an effort by the sales side, which worked hard to achieve our strategy of building sales channels for power products. Then, once the HR21 was on its way, I became involved in the development of approximately thirty Power Products models, acting as LPL. These projects included carriers and snowblowers, allowing me to use expertise obtained through our lawn mower development. After all, that was a field in which I had to overcome many difficulties. Ultimately, though, the strong sales of the HR21, which used an ME engine, led to the birth of its successor, the ZE.
"I can definitely say that I was fortunate to be involved in so many development projects," Ogano concluded. "Working under these projects made me a much better development engineer in several ways. For example, I learned the importance of collecting and thoroughly studying relevant information during predevelopment, when we mull over our designs in order to create a workable product."
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