World Tradewinds
January-February 2004 - Issue N. 121
A Publication of the Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA)
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MBITA CORPORATE SPONSORS:
MBITA PARTNERS & AFFILIATES:
Fri,
Feb 6th To register for MBITA luncheons and events, call 831-469-0148 or email info@mbita.org including the event specifics you are signing up for in the subject line. For more detail on MBITA business events, go to http://www.mbita.org/events/home.php MBITA BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
 President Vice President Members: Victor Cordell Marcelo Siero Jim Faith Cristina Polesel
MBITA Contact Info
725 Front St. Ste 104 If you would like to have an article published on this newsletter please contact the editor by email. This newsletter has been created by MBITA's editor MBITA Members and Corporate Sponsors' Newsletter Links CalTrade
Report Back to top
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Call the MBITA office at 831-469-0148 for sponsorship rates and benefits. |
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MBITA's UPDATE
We look forward to
your continued support and interest in MBITA and the World TradeWinds
newsletter and wish you all a very safe, prosperous and healthy new year.
Please go to MBITA newsletter
archives to see MBITA Members profiles and visit MBITA's Export
Promotion Services.
President tlivoti@mbita.org
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MBITA New Member:
MBITA would like to
welcome its new member Beans International
Corporation (BIC) , located in the heart of Silicon Valley, California.
Established in 1999, BIC currently opened also offices in San Diego and
Mexico. Over the years BIC has developed strong ties with some of the most prestigious equipment manufacturers in Japan and Asia. The company delivers the best quality equipment at the lowest possible prices. From Japan, BIC imports equipment no one else sells in the United States; equipment that enabled Japan to develop her current state-of-the-art manufacturing technology and the highest quality standard. From other Asian countries, BIC imports high-quality, low-cost components and accessories underwritten by their abundant production capabilities and outstanding quality management methodologies. BIC major customers include: Alpine, Amano, Casio, Canon, Clarion, Denso, Fujitsu-Ten, Hitachi Impac, JVC, Matushita Panasonic, Mitsubishi, OKI Data, NEC, Ricoh, Sony, Solectron, Sharp, Sanyo, SMK, Tabuchi. The company’s goal is to provide 100% customer satisfaction through quality products, excellent services, and customized solutions. BIC staff are not only experts of the latest manufacturing technologies in the electronics and semiconductor industries, but are also trained to recognize and deliver the best product solutions for the next-generation technologies and applications to each of the company customers. BIC team of engineers provide timely services and support whenever and wherever required. Although the company itself is still relatively new, its staff has 15+ years of experience in marketing quality test equipment in the United States. In addition to equipment sales, BIC provides consulting services related to PCB manufacturing, testing, and quality assurance. Mr. Yoshi Endo, President and CEO of BIC, announced that the company has opened a new division to provide export management services in the global marketplace. With years of experience in the Asian marketplace, BIC develops international markets for export-ready companies that would like to be successful in the global marketplace. BIC evaluates market opportunities, establishes distribution strategies, and actually implements successful business structures for managing business. Contact:
Core international trade skills are explained through four multimedia CD ROMs covering the areas of Export Marketing, Trade and Customs Practice, Finance of International Trade and eBusiness. At the announcement of the new partnership with MBITA, Thomas Smith, Operations Director of eBSI, clarified that "eBSI is not a software company, it's not a .com company; eBSI is an international trade training company". “Our unique
feature is that we have pulled together the leading experts and facilitators
in international trade policy, training and procedures and we apply best
practice in blended eLearning methodology to ensure
“A unique aspect to the eBSI’s ITS Accreditation Program which attracted MBITA from the start is the fact that participants from the USA will be able to interact online with fellow SME exporting participants not only from Ireland and other EU member states, but also from countries such as Czech Republic, Lithuania, Russia, Georgia (the country, not the state!), Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and China!” said Tony Livoti of MBITA. Vincent O’Brien, First Director of eBSI added: “We believe that our structured, hands-on approach to assisting every individual participant to achieve tangible business objectives as part of the list of program outcomes combined with access to an extensive resource of human capital and practical exporting knowledge through our network of Learning Guides, Specialist Advisors and ITS Accreditation Graduates means that from day one new ITS participants are welcomed into a positive, collaborative learning environment focused on the achievement of export success and expanded business opportunities for all.” As an example of the variety of participants and the practical outcomes that can be achieved from this approach, Mr. O’Brien explained that on Thursday evening, 4 December 2003, three competent international trade specialist graduates went head to head for the China Systems Best ITS Project Trophy 2003 at an event hosted by Anglo Irish Bank, one of Ireland’s top performing banks based in Dublin. The three competitors each had fifteen minutes to present the Industry Trade Study projects they had developed as part of their International Trade Specialist Accreditation Program to a panel of eminent judges and invited guests from international trade sectors and government agencies. Mr. Aidan Byrne, CEO of Blackstairs Technologies outlined his industry trade study on the use of electronic documents to facilitate secure and cost effective international trade. Ms. Helen Naughton, of CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) presented a highly engaging case study on the application of intercultural management techniques to increase critical success factors as part of an Export Market Entry Strategy. Mr. Tom Grace, Customs Compliance Officer at Magna Donnelly in Naas demonstrated how the correct application of international trade rules, procedures and customs and logistical planning can achieve significant savings and advance corporate international competitiveness in the global market. The three finalists
had recently graduated under the International Trade Specialist (ITS)
Accreditation Ms. Anna Nesterova, Director of Studies at eBSI, provided some highlights of training delivered during 2003. “We now have participants for our blended eLearning program in more than 20 countries worldwide. By blended eLearning I don’t just mean that eBSI delivered training over the Internet but that eBSI actually physically visited these countries. We must remember that eLearning is an evolving process and in many instances ‘face to face’ physical interaction remains an essential element in the evolving learning world”.
During
this long economic downturn, many Monterey Bay business people have
“hunkered down” rather than venture abroad, reasoning that
foreign opportunities are too risky and expensive.
When looking abroad for business, make sure to “aim ahead of the flying duck” in all areas where your potential customers will need assistance: consulting, market research, business development, marketing, advertising, financial and legal services, and business advisory services to U.S. companies going abroad as well as foreign companies entering the U.S. or other markets you know. The
U.S. economy cannot compete on cheap labor or low prices; we must offer
high value-added services and products. The fastest way it to identify
a needed service, then parlay it into a complete solution of hardware,
software, and services. To survive and thrive in this brave, new global
economy, you need to be extremely perceptive, agile, and innovative.
The Russian
Far East
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In
October of last
year I visited the Russian Far East for the third time in three
years. As a Westerner visiting this unique European culture in the
middle of Industrial Asia, I have noticed economic growth in every
visit. This last visit in October of 2003 truly represented the
most noticeable economic growth I noticed in all of my three visits. I commented on this noticeable difference of growth to my Russian friends as they drove me through the traffic congested streets of Vladivostok. I told them that I saw more smiles on faces, more people busily moving around the city and more new buildings being constructed. |
The streets were jammed with Japanese cars, new and attractive apartment buildings were sprouting up throughout the city and a sense of business and optimism was more apparent to me than my two previous visits. It was not as noticeable to my Russian friends who confront the daily challenges of Vladivostok life everyday, but I could not deny my feelings that something powerful was taking place in this intriguing and vibrant city.
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I was asked to make a presentation on Global eCommerce at the Khabarovsk Academy of Economics and Law (KAEL) which is located 400+ kilometers north-west of Vladivostok. My presentation took place during a NATO sponsored International Scientific Conference entitled ‘The Development of Economic and Legal Interactions of Pacific Rim Countries’. I took a twelve hour train ride from Vladivostok to Khabarovsk and enjoyed every minute of this evening journey through the sometimes vast wilderness of the Russian Far East. As I contemplated my thoughts in my private train berth for the long journey, I thought about the many Russian travelers during Soviet times that took this 50 year old electric train before me. I felt their presence and energy in the old carpets and worn berths around me and pondered about Russian life during those times. |
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The conference in Khabarovsk was informing and exciting. I brought the message of the new technologies and global trade in my presentations throughout the three-day conference. It was received with enthusiasm and interest in how these new concepts would soon become a part of Russia’s emerging small to mid-sized business sectors and their interaction in the new Global economy.
The young students at KAEL were drawn to these concepts like fish to water. It was very exciting to think about Russia twenty years from now and how these young people would then be Russia’s business and government leaders. I saw wonder and satisfaction in their eyes as they knew that they would be a part of a very different Russia than that of their grandparents and ancestors.
One of the most enjoyable parts of this visit to Khabarovsk was the formal luncheons and dinners of invited guests that were making presentation at the conference. To say it was a banquet every time we ate was an understatement. Between our Vodka toasts and eight course meal, everyone at the table had the floor at least once to express their feelings through a Vodka toast. Sometimes it was politics, sometimes business, sometimes humorous and sometimes serious, but every toast seemed to have a feeling of sincerity which I truly appreciated. Another guest from NATO who sat next to me at one of the dinners commented that the Russian culture of gathering for food and discussion was totally unique. He said that he had traveled throughout the world and nothing was quite like a Russian meal.
Upon my return to Vladivostok I had the pleasure to lecture on Global eCommerce at Professor’s Abramov’s economics class for one week at the hundred year old Far East National University (FENU). Mr. Abramov is also the director of the Far East Center for Economic Development (FECED), MBITA’s partner in the development of the Global Trade eCommerce Portal (GTEP) for the Russian Far East. Again to see these young Russian students grasp the new technologies of global trade was an exciting experience. Although these students knew that their economic conditions are challenging compared to other countries, they realized their situation is changing fast in Russia and their generation is tabbed as the one that speaks English, has access and an understanding of Western culture through the Internet and Cable television and will inherit a Russian Far East rich in oil, coal and natural gas.
The Russian Far East is now exporting timber, fish, oil, natural gas, minerals and coal to China, Korea, Japan and the U.S. There is more foreign investment being made in the Russian Far East than any other part of Russia because of the Sakhalin Island Oil reserve project, which is heavily invested by Mobile Oil and British Petroleum. These efforts will surely ‘trickle-down’ into the Russian Far East’s emerging small to mid-sized enterprise (SME) community.
The Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS), a division of the Foreign Commercial Service (FCS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) has some great reports on the various industries of the Russian Far East. Go to the BISNIS web site and type in 'Russian Far East'.
The BISNIS office in Washington D.C. provided MBITA with the Russian Far East’s top industry sectors where import and export opportunities exist.
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Oil and Gas 2. Building/Construction/Infrastructure 3. Food Processing 4. Wood Processing 5. Mining 6. Agriculture 7. Auto parts/Automobiles/Trucks/Automotive products |
8.
Fish Processing 9. Ports/Shipyards 10. Financial services/mortgages 11. Tourism 12. Medical Industry/IT/Telecom 13. Apparel 14. Environmental Industry |
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When I met with the U.S. Commercial section at the U.S. Embassy in Vladivostok at the end of my journey it was decided that a California trade mission of small to mid-sized enterprises was in order. There is an emerging young generation of Russian Far East people that are employed primarily by Japanese, Chinese and Korean firms. These people have money and a desire to buy Western products because consumer products are now dominated by the Chinese and Koreans in the Russian Far East. Also, we believe there are some good opportunities for American companies to set up manufacturing facilities in the Russian Far East which is strategically positioned for distribution points in Industrial Asia and has a highly-educated and cost-effective Labor force. As I took the long plane flight back from Vladivostok I knew that I would return soon to help expand bi-lateral trade into the Russian Far East and also have some of those great meals with my Russian friends and business associates. Please contact the MBITA office for further details on this trade mission to the Russian Far East which is being planned for early August of 2004. |
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Tony
Livoti
Executive Director
Monterey Bay International Trade Association
(MBITA)
Tel. 831-469-0148
email: tlivoti@mbita.org
MBITA Starts Innovative 'Webinar' Program for California Organic Exporters |
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The California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and MBITA have received a grant from the California International Market Promotion for Agriculture (CIMPA) program, the Certified Organic Products Export Strategy (COPES), which is administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).
As part of the grant, MBITA is conducting a series of innovative ‘webinars’ on how to use the new technologies for market research, eLogistics, banking and organic certification procedures.
“This is a first-of-its-kind! MBITA is now using the new collaboration technologies, has integrated some interesting animation to train California Organic Growers and Shippers online in how to use web-based solutions to become more export competitive”, states Tony Livoti, Director of MBITA.
COPES-CA
also invites you to participate to the second of an eight part seminar:
'Organic Export - Succeeding in the Global Marketplace",
which will be held on February 6, 2004 at the California Farm Bureau
Federation, Sacramento, CA. Click
here for details and online registration.
For more information on the COPES program please go to www.copes-ca.org or sign up for these free ‘webinars’ at www.copes-ca.org/webinars.php.
| Certified
Organic Products Export Strategy - California (COPES) c/o California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) 1115 Mission Street Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Phone: (831) 423-2263 Ext. 22 Web: www.copes-ca.org email: info@copes-ca.org |
Tony
Livoti
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The
Global California Conference held in San Jose at the Cisco
Conference Center in early December drew conference goers from
around the State to discuss pertinent issues in the California
Trade Community.
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With
a new governor in office and economic indicators pointing toward recovery,
California's trade community joined forces to begin a
new phase of cooperation and collaboration among trade promotion agencies
throughout the Golden State.
"Global California: Economy in Transition," was a day-long
conference held at the Cisco Conference Center on December 5, 2003.
Featured speakers were selected from a broad cross-section of trade
service experts, but all seemed to agree on the need for heightened
awareness and public outreach, to improve the environment for further
grown in this sector.
"Arnold Schwarzenegger is an action guy who wants to have 'action
items' on his desk. He's not interested in white papers or long, involved
studies," said trade consultant, Jerry Levine, President, Mentor
International. "We have to unite to provide him and our
legislators with plans they can implement without delay.
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conference - organized by TradePort,
MBITA and the CalTrade
Report - drew from a number of Bay Area trade experts as
well, including Jerry Bridges, the Maritime Director at the Port
of Oakland, of the nation's fourth largest port. "We are
the engine of economic growth," he said. "But for that
to be sustained, we need support for the steady expansion of our
infrastructure." In a post Conference survey conducted online, over 80% of the participants felt that the conference was particularly timely and relevant to the current trends in the trade promotion arena. |
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respondent states, “This conference provided an excellent opportunity
to hear opinions and voice concerns about International Trade Issues.” |
Carlos
Poza, USDOC Deputy Secretary and Director of the Foreign Commerce
Service addresses the conference from his office in Washington
D.C. through Cisco’s videoconference system.’ |
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addition, 80% of the respondents reported to have made contact with
an individual or an organization that they believe will be a benefit
to their business in the near future and over 85% reported that
they would attend a similar conference in the future. Another attendee wrote, “The Global California – Economy in Transition conference was an important step in initiating dialogue between public and private trade groups to address the critical economic issues facing California today.” |
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On
that note; TradePort,
The LA Chamber of Commerce,
the CalTrade Report
and MBITA have already begun planning a Southern California version
of the Global California Conference to be held in May of 2004. Please
check the TradePort website
for more information as it becomes available.
Contact:
Rebecca Cavagnari
Director of Sales and Marketing
Tradeport.org
Web: www.tradeport.org
email: rcavagnari@tradeport.org
