( CNN ) -- It 's both time-honored tradition and cutting-edge technology blended in this small factory in Osaka , Japan . This is the home of Japan 's best known sporting export , Mizuno . Masato Mizuno , chairman of sportswear company Mizuno , speaks to CNN 's Andrew Stevens in The Boardroom . Its sports equipment and clothes sell around the world -- baseball gear , its first ever product , now joined by a growing range of other sports equipment . And then there 's the `` fastswim '' professional swimsuits , modeled on shark skin . The company is headed by effervescent chairman Masato Mizuno . In Osaka he talked to CNN 's Andrew Stevens in The Boardroom about the toughest challenges he has faced in 19 years at the top . Mizuno : OK . I became the president in 1988 . It was a really great time . We 've been enjoying the so-called bubble economy . So whatever we do , it was very successful in like four to five years , However , after that collapse of the bubble economy , we had a really hard time . But we set up a quite precise schedule to the comeback . And everybody really worked hard -- very cooperative . So we came back . Stevens : What lessons do you think you learnt that made the company better from going through that very sharp downturn ? Mizuno : Well we emphasize wherever we have strongness . During the good years , we diversified the range of the business . Most of them I failed . So whatever left we really emphasized this area which is technology . Stevens : You 've looked at the animal kingdom to provide some clues for developing new products . I 'm thinking of sharkskin used in your fast suits , patterns on a shark actually have been incorporated into your fast suits and there 's a lot of success with swimmers wearing your products in Sydney . What else are you working on ? Mizuno : Well , we 're developing the new swimsuits for Beijing . This is quite different from the past . So I can not tell you today but this is quite , you know , different products . Stevens : What do you think is the best piece of management advice you 've ever received ? Mizuno : I 've learned from the boy scout experience , our motto is be prepared . So every , you know the item , I have to do , I like to make good preparation , for the company for myself , or for family , we have to be prepared . E-mail to a friend .
Masato Mizuno , CEO of Toyota talks to Mark Stevens in The Boardroom . The sports equipment company sells its product around the world . In the company 's ` ` ' '' swim , the product mirrors itself .