Last month in this column, my colleague Matthew Bartlett challenged some of the negative perceptions of UK manufacturing and emphasised the benefits of exporting for all aspects of a business. However, no company serious about exporting should consider moving into an overseas market without proper research. After success in the UK, many manufacturers get into exporting by accident, often receiving an order out of the blue from another country and only then thinking about whether this is a market with real potential or where to go next. No export-based expansion can realistically be based on this reactive model, or rely on Internet sales. Companies need carefully to identify suitable markets, and then construct an entry strategy.
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