It will take millions of dollars to compete and catch up with the high volume production and experience of any one of the I countries. So the differentiator has to be on design instead. This market, and the skilled designers and craftsmen serving it, already exist in Southern Africa, as witnessed by the special designs sold in major tourist lodges, jewelry stores and duty free shops.
UPDATE
2009 has started strong for MBITA with three conferences in the first four months of the year. The Gulf Coast Countries of the Middle East, the AGOA countries of Africa and Trade Finance were featured topics at these events.
This issue also features four new MBITA members representing a broad stroke of industries from Radar technology to African jewelry. Enjoy…
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President
Tony Livoti
MBITA
Vice President
Shay Adams
AIM Medical Sales
Members
Dr. Edward Valeau
Els Group LLC
Hartnell College
President Emeritus
Marcelo Siero
IdeasSiero
Jim Faith
Trade Export
Finance Online
(TEFO)
Cristina Polesel
MBITA
General Manager
This newsletter has been
created by MBITA's editor
Cristina Polesel
cristina@mbita.org
MBITA New Member
MBITA welcomes new member Texmac Inc.
TEXMAC Inc. is a subsidiary of Itochu Corporation and belongs to ICTAE (Information Communication Technology, Aerospace and Electronics) company. Itochu Corporation is a $120 billion revenue (FY2007) company, having local offices globally.
TEXMAC represents ICTAE company of Itochu Corporation and many ICTAE subsidiaries in Japan, Asia and Europe.
Texmac is responsible for:
- Handling current trade business to/from North America.
- Finding new business seeds and partners in North America.
Their current trade business include:
- Importing industrial machinery from Japan and delivering to the customers in North America.
- Manufacturing equipment for Photovoltaic (Solar) manufactures and Secondary Battery manufactures.
- Semiconductor/PCB test equipment.
- Textile machinery.
- Equipment for Medical/Pharmaceutical industries.
- Materials for above equipment.
Itochu/TEXMAC’s interest on new business development activities
TEXMAC is also interested in evaluating innovative business operations or business models in the following sectors:
- Industrial machines manufactures who have established a certain size of local commercial business and are willing to expand business abroad. (NA to Japan and abroad)
- Industrial machine manufactures who have built pilot systems and want to outsource the manufacturing process for volume production. (NA to Japan and abroad)
- Companies or individuals with unique intellectual property for manufacturing higher efficiency photovoltaic or higher performance secondary battery production. (NA to Japan and abroad)
- Unique service companies where special industrial machines are needed for operation. (NA to Japan and abroad)
- Renewable energy / Clean Technology companies who are seeking high quality, precision manufacturing equipment for pilot systems and volume production. (Japan to NA)
Texmac’s typical evaluation process is as follows:
- Review technology and business model on paper
- Strategic equity investment to partner company
- Initiate dialogue with target companies, exchange more information
- (if necessary) sign NDA
- Preliminary joint market research and report
- Signing MOU toward establishing commercial relationship
- Full market research, followed by long term commercial agreement
Contact:
Nobuhiro 'Nobu' Michishita
New Business Technology Manager
Texmac Inc.
3370 Montgomery Dr.
Santa Clara, CA 95054
Tel. 408-970-9171
email: nmichishita@texmacusa.com
Web: www.texmac.com
MBITA New Member Safari Gold
MBITA welcomes new member Safari Gold.
It is a tragedy that South African and its neighbors mine such a high percentage of the world's gold and diamonds, yet most of the value add jewelry manufacturing jobs are in Italy, Israel or India. In fact, the three 'I's' (as they are called) produce half of the US's jewelry... and the US has half the world's total retail sales of finished jewelry pieces.
Why shouldn't some of these jobs stay close to the source and create jobs in Africa? Not all African producers have a trained labor force, but South Africa has had jewelry design, manufacturing and training for over 30 years.
The Africa Jewelers Trust in South Africa is already supported by very experienced world-class jewelers and modern diamond cutters. They are one of the major suppliers to this local high-end market, but are having trouble keeping up with demand because of their lack of working capital. This in turn means they cannot support their export markets.
Some great investment opportunities exist for a company or individual wishing to be part of this growing movement and prepared to invest in South Africa. The trust is already African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) and BEE certified and new members will be invited in as well.
But the market in Africa is not big enough alone. To expand into the US (the best target continent for these designs), a sales channel needs to be established to create pull-through for these designs - hence the creation of Safari Gold USA.
It is a unique retail channel for these products as well as a source for high end safari and wildlife artwork from Southern Africa. This is modeled after Spirits of Stone (7 galleries) that have already done it for Shona stonework from Zimbabwe, and Na Hoku (34 galleries) who have had a major success with their Hawaiian themed jewelry and artifacts. It is hoped this push/pull strategy will create jobs in Africa and the U.S. while showcasing to the world that fine craftsmanship can come from Africa.
Contact:
U.S. office
Martin Foden
Safari Gold
650 Castro Street - Suite 120-239
Tel. + 1-650-960-0811
Mountain View, CA 94041 - U.S.A.
martin@safarigold.comwww.safarigold.com
South Africa office
Peter Black
Safari Gold
peterblack@mhondoro.co.za
Investments may be secured by raw materials (gold, diamonds), inventory and/or company stock.
See also www.FodenMan.com for older designs that were successfully sold at Safari Club shows and through US catalogs before
MBITA
New Member
Interphase Technologies, Inc.
MBITA welcomes new member Interphase Technologies, Inc.
ISCAN 180Founded in Santa Cruz in 1986 by Charles and Sharon Hicks, the company designs, manufacturers and markets marine electronic equipment for recreational, light commercial and research vessels. Interphase won the marine innovation award in 1992 for the introduction of a unique forward looking sonar system using sophisticated phased array technology. The company also received a patent (# 5,675,552 “Sonar Apparatus Having a Steerable Beam”) covering several of the techniques used in its phased array sonar products.
Since then, the company has used phased array technology to introduce a range of unique scanning sonar products and today is recognized throughout the world as a leader in highly reliable and affordable forward looking sonar products which are used by vessels to locate rocks, reefs, to follow underwater channels, find and track fish, avoid icebergs, study the habits of whales and other types of marine life and for many other diverse uses. Several standard and custom systems have also been installed on small submarines, ROV and AUV’s for purposes of navigation and research.
Interphase’s products typically cost between $1,000 and $3000 and are sold through a North American and international distributor and dealer network. In 2005, Sam Farr and the US Department of Commerce awarded Interphase the Export Achievement Award and during the past year, approximately 60% of Interphase’s total sales were exported. The largest export amount was exported to Russia. Interphase’s 6,000 sq. ft office/warehouse is located in Soquel, CA where the company’s products are designed and locally manufactured by a staff of 12 employees.
The company is continuing to develop new technologies to improve both the speed and resolution of its current products and is looking forward to the expanding opportunities in the recreational, research and marine security markets.
Contact:
Charles Hicks
President
Interphase Technologies, Inc.
2880 Research Park Dr. Ste 140
Soquel, CA 95073
Tel. 831-477-4944
email: charles@interphase-tech.com
Web: www.interphase-tech.com
MBITA New Member
Entwine Global
MBITA welcomes new member Entwine Global.
Entwine Global was founded by Almaz Negash to provide consulting in international and regional economic development projects and programs. Over the last fifteen years she has helped build and foster countless, vital strategic relationships between a diverse set of individuals and organizations around the world. While at the Silicon Valley Center for International Trade Development (SVCITD), Almaz helped originate marketing, distribution, export strategies, and commercial partnerships for over 200 clients, aiding in garnering millions of dollars in contracts for her clientele.
Entwine Global - is an international business, trade, and economic development consulting firm dedicated to supporting individuals and organizations to expand their businesses around the world. We are a group of highly skilled Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, educators, and business leaders who serve local and international clients with quality, integrity, and transparency in all aspects of our business practice. We provide unique services in the following areas:
- Marketing, distribution, export strategies, and commercial partnerships.
- Co-research, plan, design, implement, and maintain projects that attract targeted employment and investments to a city, region, or nation.
- Arrange business meetings with potential partners in Silicon Valley and other parts of the United States.
- Plan and promote international trade events and conferences.
- Expertise in Emerging Markets:
- Sub-Saharan Africa/Middle East
- Eastern Europe
- South East Asian Countries
Entwine Global is a Registered Export Service Provider with the Silicon Valley U.S. Export Assistant Center.
For more information please contact us.
Contact:
Almaz Negash
Managing Partner
Entwine Global
Tel. 408-981-5876
email: almaz@entwineglobal.com
Web: www.entwineglobal.com
Export Opportunities Dwindle but Persist
The global recession began hammering waterborne commerce in second-half 2008, containerized import-export statistics from PIERS® show. U.S. imports, in decline since first-quarter 2008, plunged 10.5% in the last quarter, ending the year down 7.9% from 2007.
U.S. exports, which grew in the first three quarters, albeit at a slowing pace (20.8% in first quarter, 13.5% in second and 9.0% in third), reversed sharply, falling 16.9%. While exports finished 2008 up 5.8%, it’s a poor showing compared to 17.5% in 2007.
The year-end numbers seem to dash hopes that demand for U.S. exports would provide a silver lining in an otherwise darkening outlook, and yet …
The Obama administration presses ahead on the Columbia FTA. The U.S. Export-Import Bank ramps up financing to boost foreign sales of U.S. products and services. New Commerce Secretary Gary Locke pledges to open foreign markets to American goods. PIERS forecasts overall decline in exports in 2009, but expects growth in some regions, such as the Indian subcontinent, to flatten, not fall.
So exports offer, if not a silver lining, pockets of opportunity. Businesses can find out who’s still buying with PIERS TI® trade intelligence, the only online source of comprehensive data on waterborne imports and exports. To learn more, go to piers.com. MBITA members receive 20% off if they mention this article.
Where's the Money and Markets
in Our Challenging Global Economy
Sponsored by FedEx, the 6th annual Global California conference was held this year at Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara, Ca. on April 3rd. An array of trade finance experts and marketing professionals provided a full day of presentations on where the money is for trade finance and what are the best global markets in our sluggish global economy as the title of the conference portrays.
Special attention was given to Jerry Avila, regional manager of the Small Business Administration (SBA), who exclaimed the benefits of the $15,000,000,000 stimulus package just granted to the agency by the Obama administration. Mr. Avila was happy to proclaim that the stimulus funds will directly benefit the SBA’s export loan guarantees program to American exporters.
Also, Todd Acker, Regional Manager for FedEx in Northern California gave a featured presentation on export compliance. Obtaining trade finance and discovering new markets are most of the pieces of the puzzle to consummate a global trade transaction, however, delays in shipments can occur when the exporter does not comply with the various import regulations for a specific country. FedEx’s compliance online product and the ‘Global Trade Manager’ service provides an easy interface to make sure all of your compliance and shipping issues are met, and it’s free from FedEx.
The Gulf Coast Countries of the Middle East and the AGOA countries of Africa were featured as new markets for American exporters with a special presentation given by the U.S. Ambassador to Angola, Dan Mozena.
Have a Green product, service or technology?
Sign up for a membership in GreenTradeNetwork.com
With a focus on global trade industry companies and professionals, the MBITA Global Jobs Center offers its members—and the industry at large—an easy-to-use and highly targeted resource for online employment connections in global trade.
Both members and non-members can use the MBITA Career Center to reach qualified candidates. Employers can post jobs online, search for qualified candidates based on specific job criteria, and create an online resume agent to email qualified candidates daily. They also benefit from online reporting that provides job activity statistics.
For job seekers, the MBITA Career Center is a free service that provides access to employers and jobs in the global trade industry. In addition to posting their resumes, job seekers can browse and view available jobs based on their criteria and save those jobs for later review if they choose.
Job seekers can also create a search agent to provide email notifications of jobs that match their criteria.
Sponsors, Partners, & Affiliates
Contact Us
Tony Livoti
Global-MBITA & Tradeport
200 Washington St., Suite 207, Santa Cruz, Ca. 95060
Mailing address: P.O. Box 523
Santa Cruz, CA 95061 - U.S.A.
Please contact the Global-MBITA office for sponsorship details and click HERE to become a panelist or presenter.
tlivoti@globalmbita.com
www.tradeport.org
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