Newsletter

International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew led a Canadian trade mission to Central Europe to promote Canada's trade interests and to strengthen bilateral ties in the region. He was accompanied by representatives from more than 55 Canadian companies and organizations doing business in Hungary, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic and Slovenia.

"It is important for Canadian entrepreneurs to establish a strong presence in these countries prior to their accession to the European Union," said Minister Pettigrew. "Developing closer links and increasing our trade and investment activity in the region can only benefit both Canada and our Central European partners."

Contracts worth $8.15 million were signed and many of the 55 participating business delegates said that they expect to make deals worth as much as $42.3 million in the near future, as a result of the trade mission.

"I am quite satisfied with the results" said Karel Urban, President of OATH who is also President of CANDEX Inc. “All participants had plenty of networking opportunities with the business representatives in the countries visited".

The Honorable Pierre Pettigrew, the Minister for International Trade and Karel Urban, OATH President, discussed OATH’s activities during the Trade Team Canada Mission to Central Europe in September.

Trading houses sometimes experience difficulty when meeting new clients. Manufacturing companies are often not aware of the value of trading houses to the Canadian economy, or the fact that governments respect and support the roles we play in helping companies to achieve export sales. At OATH, we have developed a marketing package that will help you overcome this initial resistance. It was developed in co-operation with different branches of the federal and provincial governments and includes the following:

· Newsletter from the Ministry of Northern Development & Mines, highlighting the value of trading houses.

· OATH brochure describing what OATH is, the benefits of membership and the services provided.

· List of our trading partners in the federal and provincial governments and the events we have developed together.

OATH HISTORY & PARTNERS

OATH history goes back to 1984 to the task force on trading houses developed by the Federal Government. The government recognized the need to learn more about this important industry segment.

From this task force, the Council of Canadian Trading Houses was formed. Ontario has historically relied on national associations to represent it, much to the detriment of its local members. Today, OATH aims to rectify this historical imbalance by enabling Ontario trading houses to have their voice heard in both the provincial and federal governments.

A national network

At the national level, OATH has formed strategic alliances with major trade associations in order to increase contacts for members with new trade partners, including Ontario Exports Inc., the lead trade agency of the Government of Ontario and TradeLink Toronto at the National Trade Center.

An international network

OATH members also benefit from the Association’s close ties with Industry Canada's International Trade Centers, Canadian embassies and consulates, Ontario Exports Inc. as well as other Trading House associations around the world.

Join OATH

There are many advantages to joining OATH. The process is simple; the rewards are significant. You can call, fax or fill out a membership form at http://www.oath.on.ca/.

TRADING HOUSE EXPO

The first annual Trading House Expo took place at TradeLink Toronto at the National Trade Centre, Exhibition Place on October 5^th.

The Expo provided a great opportunity for trading houses and manufacturers to come together and trade valuable information. Exhibiting trading houses demonstrated to the visiting manufacturers their success in exporting Canadian products overseas.

The Expo began with a multi-media presentation on "How Trading Houses Really Work" given by David Archer, President of ATM Export Management. A guidebook, "FASTrack: Guide for Export to Non-Traditional Markets" was provided by Kuehne & Nagel and the Royal Bank.

Thirty manufacturers and fifteen trading houses attended and nine new members joined OATH during this Expo. Sponsors were OATH, Ontario Exports Inc., Toronto Board of Trade, TradeLink Toronto, World Trade Centre, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters and Centennial College.

Ron Lee, Director of Norland Industries, a trading house stated that “During the Expo, I had the opportunity to meet quite a number of the potential clients and got some valuable business leads. I would encourage anyone interested in international business to check OATH out and join it”.

POST CONSTRUCT CANADA

Industry Canada - International Trade Centre - in cooperation with OATH will present a seminar titled Post Construct Canada Export Options, featuring Mexico and Latin America.

The theme of the seminar will be "Trading Houses: A Viable Exporting Option" and will take place December 14 from 3:00-5:30 pm in the conference room of Industry Canada's regional office at 151 Yonge St.

This seminar is extremely valuable for small and medium sized manufacturers and firms involved in the development of export strategies. Trading Houses offer a viable and efficient option when exporting to many markets, saving you time and money.

Guest speakers

· Karel Urban, President of OATH

· David Archer, OATH Chair for Mexico & Latin America

· Gabriel Parrodi, Intercambi and OATH Member

· Alan Ballak, Trade Commissioner for USA & Latin America

· Martin Charney, Liquid Capital - factoring & finance

Admission $5. Refreshments and food will be served during the networking session after the seminar. For more information contact Alan Ballak, Industry Canada at (416) 952-4771

OUR MEMBERS WRITE

Traders tips by David Archer

Here is a commonly-held belief that must be debunked.

“We don’t want to sell there, they don’t have any money.”

Average per-capita incomes vary widely in different countries, but there is money to be made in nearly every country. Developing countries, which typically have per-capita GDP levels in the US$ 500-3,000 range, often also have (rightly or wrongly) a heavy concentration of wealth within relatively few hands. Those people are usually well-connected and have ample financial resources to purchase products or services if they see the right business opportunity. If you can get to these people, then affordability is rarely an issue. Further, in this “people” business, one opportunity often leads to another through the networks that you cultivate, so developing a relationship can result in unforeseen rewards in the future.

David Archer is the General Manager of ATM, a Trading House specialized in Latin America - industrial equipment sector. David can be reached at mail@atmtrade.com

upcoming events

· Construct Canada
November 29 to December 1
Contact Jim Thompson
Tel: (416) 314-8244

· Post Construct Canada Export Options
December 14
Industry Canada - ITC
Contact Alan Ballak
Tel: (416) 952-4771

· FITT courses
Forum for International Trade and Training
January 2001
Contact Charles Donley
Tel: (416) 263-350

· Global Business Reception
February 13, 2001 at TradeLink Toronto
In co-operation with the federal and provincial governments and the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
Contact Ken Campbell
Tel: ( 416) 325-6515

· Global Traders Awards
March/April 2001
Ontario Exports Inc., Government of Ontario
Contact Linda McKay
Tel: (416) 325-6842

· Going Global for Women

Contact Charles Donley

Tel: (416) 263-3508

Ontario Association of Trading Houses (OATH)
All rights reserved.
OATH is a non-profit organization committed to
international trade and development.

Contact us for more information regarding OATH's membership application.
4841 Yonge Street, PO BOX 43086
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2N 6N1
Tel: +1 (416) 263-3586 Fax: +1 (416) 223-5707

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