World Trade - December 2008 - (Page 41)

added more to GDP growth since 2005 than residential investment has taken away. In fact, U.S. exports of manufactured goods have accounted for nearly 61 percent of America’s economic growth over the past year when U.S. exports grew by more than $270 billion for a grand total of $982 billion. Most remarkable, 97 percent of U.S. companies that export are small and mid-sized companies (SMMs). “If your company is not exporting, it needs to,” charges Dan Akman, NAM assistant vice president for Marketing & Business Development. “There’s never been a better time than now.” As Ajax explained, the current weak U.S. dollar is making American products cheap abroad. Escalating shipping costs are chipping away of advantages of buying low-cost items from places like China. Plus, U.S. products are preferred because of their quality. America stands behind its goods. Starter kits Just Do It! Here’s Power Curbers, Inc. advice to exporters: “Just do it!” With 40+ years of exporting under its belt, this Salisbury, North Carolina manufacturer of construction machinery has been exporting since the 1960s. Unlike companies today, the small business had to forge its own path. “Today it’s easy with the Internet,” says Dyke Messinger, company president. “Companies can gather so much information that for us 40 years ago was difﬁcult to locate. In the 1970s and even 1980s you still had to get on a plane to start asking questions. Today you can save yourself a trip—and even make a visit very proﬁtable—just by doing the work on the Internet.” Today, this small company, with less than $50 million in annual sales, exports worldwide. Nearly 40 percent of its business comes from overseas markets. “The biggest change we see is we are exporting to more developing countries,” Messinger says. So where to begin? Information on how to export abounds. In fact, there’s so much information available that Akman warns it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But groups like NAM, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) offer services and programs that streamline and assist companies with the process. NAM focuses on easy access to information and quality advice. Akman suggests stopping by NAM’s website (www.nam.org), and clinking on “Member Services” on the top bar, then “Help with Exporting.” “Here you’ll be directed to a wide host of options, including NAM’s three programs: Get Fast Export Advice; Export Europe; and its Export Institute (EI),” Adman says. Under “Get Fast Export Advice” companies ﬁnd a wide range of information. Akman suggests clicking on www.nam.og/export and ﬁlling out an export assistance request form. “Upon reviewing the form, NAM staff members will answer your questions or employ an expert who will,” Akman says. “We’ll answer questions internally or through the alliance we have with U.S. Commercial Services. Most importantly, we’ll stay with you until you get what you need.” U.S. Commercial Services, the trade promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, has an ofﬁce at NAM. Its current liaison, Rebecca Balogh, works with NAM members, NAM’s export website, and Webinars. “These can be anything from Exporting 101 to company speciﬁc information such as meeting the buyers of Renault,” Balogh states. By participating in this particular Webinar, for example, members can learn what the French car maker is seeking from suppliers for its new manufacturing plant in Tangiers. Some Webinars are free; others charge a small fee. Overall, Balogh finds exporting to be difficult for many companies because most have small staffs. “We deal with companies that do not have deep resources,” she says. Export Europe NAM particularly encourages SMMs to consider exporting to Europe. That’s because Europe is especially hot right now for U.S. exports. Statistics indicate that from 2005 to 2008, Europe accounted for 29 percent of U.S. export growth—more than anywhere else. In 2007, exports from the United States to the European Union (EU) exceeded those to China by six times. “SMMs that export to Europe ﬁnd that not only do they benefit from favorable exchange rates, but also Europe’s cultural and business customs, and the fact most European executives speak English,” Akman says. Plus, European contract laws are similar to those in the United States. To simplify the process is NAM’s “Export Europe” program. Here, through Quicktake, would-be exporters can speak directly to NAM staff or the U.S. Commercial Services liaison to get a quick idea of the best country for your product and gauge its potential interest. Those companies needing to find suitable strategic partners can also take advantage of the program’s International Partner Search service that utilizes U.S. Commercial Services’ on-the-ground experts. For a modest fee, they will provide up to five pre-qualified partners. For a little more money, one-on-one meetings with pre-screened representatives such as distributors, agents, and government ofﬁcials, can be arranged through its Gold Key Services program. “We do the research and WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM 41 Power Curbers, Inc. http://www.nam.org http://www.nam.org/export http://WWW.WORLDTRADEMAG.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Trade - December 2008

World Trade - December 2008 Contents The Promise of Peril The Current Reality with IP in China Supply Chain Watch Tradewinds Performance Partners: Awards of Excellence Managing With Mobility What 2009 Bodes for the Supply Chain Small Business Takes to Export Green is Here for Good Fast Fashion

World Trade - December 2008

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