1. (http://profilemagazine.com/)
Mizuno, founded in 1906 in Osaka, Japan, manufactures sports equipment, apparel, and footwear.
JoshCreasmanisReadyforaFightintheWorldofApparel
As supply chain vice president, Josh Creasman is fighting for market share in the
rough-and-tumble world of sports equipment and apparel and is snagging a
victory for Mizuno USA
BY ZACH BALIVA (HTTP://PROFILEMAGAZINE.COM/ARTICLE_AUTHOR/ZACH-BALIVA/)
It takes a lot of courage to do battle with industry heavyweights like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armor, but
Josh Creasman never sidesteps a challenge. After serving as a flight medic in the US Army, Creasman
started a career in global supply chain management and logistics at premier brands like Honeywell,
American Standard, and Yakima Products. Fifteen years at market-leading companies taught him how
to increase efficiencies and improve margins to gain a competitive advantage. Today, he’s helping
Mizuno USA take back market share from the “Big Three” in sportswear and sports equipment.

2. HOW CREASMAN’S MILITARY
EXPERIENCE
INFLUENCES HIS
MANAGEMENT STYLE
How does your military
service overlap with
business?
I enlisted right out of high
school. I learned a lot very
quickly about discipline and
work ethic, and the difference
in leadership and managing
people.
What did it teach you about
leadership?
The military comprises
individuals from just about
every walk of life—each
comes from a different
background. The same is true
in business. You have to learn
what drives each person and
how you can connect and
complete the mission. I grew
up in a lower middle-class
family and quickly developed
street smarts. I’m also thankful
for my education. That’s what
shaped who I am and how I
lead—that combination of
street smarts, formal
education, and military
experience.
Did your time in the US Army
change how you view
business?
Mizuno USA focuses on baseball, softball, volleyball, golf, and
running. In each of the categories, the company fights against some
of the world’s top brands in an intensely competitive industry. How
can Mizuno USA win market share from its $25 billion counterparts?
By using every possible advantage it has across the entire company
—including those Creasman can introduce as vice president of
supply chain. “The other guys certainly have the deeper pockets to
spend on athletes, professional contracts, and advertising, but it
starts with delivering premium-quality products, driving
differentiated service models, and being known in the industry as a
company easy to do business with,” Creasman says. “We focus on
delivering the best premium-tier products, and we get them to stores
and to our customers faster and with more accuracy than the
competition.”
As omnichannel retailing evolves, Creasman expects companies to
rely more on their supply chain and logistics teams. “Companies can
no longer afford to think of supply chain as a back room function,
when in reality it needs to be a key driver and differentiator,” he
explains. Simply put, Creasman and his team help Mizuno USA
customers get what they want—how, where, and when they want it.
The supply chain team at Mizuno USA is also set up to meet the
increasing demands of big-box retailers whose service models
continue to evolve and proliferate.
To succeed in this shifting reality, Creasman led the design and
implementation of Mizuno USA’s new distribution and
manufacturing center, which opened in August 2015. The tech-
laden, fully automated facility uses camera-based scanning
equipment to sort and track packages, ensuring that each one is
fully compliant with retail store requirements. Products travel two
miles and go through a high-speed sortation equipped with zone-
routing technology. A dedicated “single single” operation was
deployed to service the company’s current and future e-commerce
business throughout the more than twenty-five zones in the
distribution center, reducing congestion and increasing e-
commerce throughout. Mizuno USA also invested heavily in a new
three-story pick module designed to support high velocity stock
keeping units (SKUs) and a two-story pick mezzanine designed for
dense storage and highly efficient picking operations.
The new facility also houses its golf club assembly operations, which
leads the industry with a two-day custom golf club lead-time
operation. Customers can place an order on Tuesday and play
28
Shares
2

3. It confirmed to me that a
good team must know how it
fits into the overall strategy
and mission. Clearly, people
come to work for the
compensation, but more
importantly is the human
nature of everyone to know
what they do has some higher
purpose and meaning. Being
able to apply this principle to
business, combined with good
planning, good execution, and
a data-driven approach, is
paramount to executing the
kind of change needed to win
in today’s business
environment.
around with their new clubs on Saturday. The new facility has also
been approved by the US Department of Commerce to operate as a
foreign-trade zone.
This development, in combination with Importer Self Assessment
(ISA) and Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT)
certification, enables Mizuno USA to move goods into the United
States much more quickly, deferring applicable duties until products
are shipped to customers and saving costs on particular import fees.
One key word describes the whole facility: flexibility. Mizuno USA
designed all aspects of the space, including its size, to support an
ever-changing industry.
In 2014, Mizuno USA’s supply chain team took another step designed
to outpace its competitors. It deployed a Material Requirements
Planning (MRP) and Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP)
platform to control all steps in ordering, purchasing, demand,
supply, and inventory planning. It replaced an offline and labor-
intensive process. The team simultaneously deployed a new order
management platform, and these new platforms help Mizuno USA
seamlessly connect all data streams from order placement to
delivery.
Additionally, Creasman has Mizuno USA set up to compete on service. “We treat services as a product,
and we’ve developed an innovation pipeline that truly sets us apart,” Creasman says. “Just as Mizuno is
facing competitive pressure, so are our retail partners.” The ability to differentiate from competitors is
crucial in the dynamic omnichannel space and a key value driver in Mizuno USA’s selling proposition.
The company also offers value-added services such as same-day shipping, gifting, ticketing, labeling
custom packing slips, and garments on hangers. It has placed baseball glove steamers in most Dick’s
Sporting Goods locations and recently deployed a custom uniform program that leverages speed to
market, technology, and turnkey solutions for customers. With a robust supply chain infrastructure in
place, Creasman is turning his attention to strategic sourcing and leveraging the infrastructure
deployed since joining Mizuno USA.
As disposable income increases and citizens embrace healthier lifestyles, experts forecast continued
growth in the sporting-goods industry. A quick look at Mizuno USA’s strategy in golf highlights the
company’s success over the last five years. Mizuno USA has leveraged its elite JPX line and introduced it
to markets worldwide. The company then continued to focus on a premium product fully supported by
invitationals, professional ambassadors, and campaigns designed to get the top-end product into the
hands of as many golfers as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, Nike signed its fourth contract with Tiger
Woods—a deal worth an estimated $20 million per year. Mizuno USA hasn’t seen its market share drop
by even one point

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