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REALLY USEFUL RESOURCES
for international trade professionals |
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Dear International Traders,
This week in Really Useful Resources you will:
• Learn about doing business in the Netherlands
• Find out about the latest developments in international customs compliance
Additionally, don't forget to browse the daily new content on GlobalTrade.net. The site now boasts over 15,000 market reports, business tips and news covering over 100 countries.
It also boasts a Directory of 14,000+ agents, distributors, traders, import services and export services that can assist you in your international trade operations.
See our select list of service providers this edition.
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 OUR FEATURED COUNTRY
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Netherlands
An Eldorado in Europe
According to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis published last July, the Netherlands was the largest recipient of direct investment from the U.S. in 2010. The United States invested $521.4 billion dollars in the Netherlands, 13.3% of total U.S. FDI. This is the third consecutive year that the country found itself in first place in U.S. FDI. For comparison, in the same year, the United Kingdom received $ 508.4 billion (13%), Canada $ 296.7 billion dollars (7.6%) and Luxembourg $ 275 billion (7%).
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Rotterdam, 3rd haven in the world |
U.S. companies are attracted to the Netherlands for investment. The company Patagonia Inc., recently decided to relocate its distribution center from Chartres (France) to the Dutch city of Heerenberg. Similarly, the Heinz Company has invested heavily in the Netherlands to create a center of European research and innovation in the city of Nijmegen, which should be online by 2013. This research center will be the largest research center outside of Heinz USA.
The Netherlands has many strong assets including a highly developed communication and transportation infrastructure, a skilled workforce that is both productive and multilingual, a strategic geographical position that makes it a gateway to the main European markets, a stable political environment and financial sector. For example, Patagonia Inc. will, through its presence in Heerenberg, deliver its products in Germany, the United Kingdom, France and the Benelux countries in less than 24 hours. Also, thanks to the quality of the Dutch infrastructure, the distribution center in Heerenberg will be able to manage three containers a day, instead of the three containers per week that were being produced in Chartres. In the end, Heinz has decided to move to Nijmegen, a city in a region where skills are focused on diet and health, providing an attractive framework for the best talent in the field of research and development of new food products.
To learn more about the Netherlands:
• The FITA Netherlands Country Profile
• The Netherlands Chamber of Commerce
To help you do business in the Netherlands:
• The site of the U.S. Embassy in the Netherlands
• The site of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands
• 2011 Netherlands Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies
• NL EVD International: the official trade and investment website of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation
• The site of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency
For information on other countries of the world:
• FITA's mini portals of 90 countries
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Japan’s (Organic) Chemical Reaction
In the wake of Japan’s triple disaster in March, the Datamyne blog has been tracking that country’s export data as it’s become available – with the expectation that the extent of the damage to trade wouldn’t emerge until April-May. |
Japan’s shipments of organic chemicals (HS 2900) were actually up 25.43% overall in April 2011 compared to the same month a year ago; the monthly rate of growth slowed to 9.78% in May. However, analysis at the 6-digit HS code level showed shipments of top-ranked export styrene (HS 290250), which gained 66.41% in March over the preceding year’s March, fell back 12.37% in April, and were down 21.6% in May, compared to the same months in 2010. Other big losers in May (based on percentage loss in FOB US$ value from the comparable month in 2010) were Butan-1-OL (HS 290513), Diethylene Glycol (HS 290941), and Octylphenol (HS 290713).
You can see more trade data results – including the changes in Japan’s top 10 organic chemicals exports for March, April and May – in our latest Free report.
Download the FREE REPORT in pdf here
To find out more about using trade data to gauge market disruptions in your product or sector, contact us. |
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 REALLY USEFUL SITES
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Commercial News USA
American Exporters Seeking Partners Worldwide
www.thinkglobal.us
Companies cannot “go global” by staying at home! You should take advantage of all available assistance and every opportunity to publicize your business to international markets.
Are you familiar with Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the US Department of Commerce? Commercial News USA offers exporters an inexpensive way to promote their products and services in 178 countries worldwide. And now, display advertisers in the November-December 2011 issue will receive a free booth in the new USA Export Expo, a virtual trade show that will premiere in October. For more information click on www.thinkglobal.us.
And if your company is a small company and/or in a rural area, the U.S. government has initiated a new effort to help you export. Read this article "For Small and Rural Business, the Time to Export Is Now" on the website of the International Trade Administration to find out more about the program.
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World Customs Organisation
Customs and Compliance Standards for the World
www.wcoomd.org
Although you may have extensive experience with customs procedures and other compliance issues you still need to find out about new trends keep up to date with constant changes. The World Customs Organisation (WCO) is an intergovernmental organization that unites the global customs community. It develops international conventions, instruments, and tools such as commodity classification, valuation, rules of origin, collection of customs revenue, supply chain security, international trade facilitation, customs enforcement activities, combating counterfeiting in support of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), integrity promotion, and delivering sustainable capacity building to assist with customs reforms and modernization. The WCO also maintains the international Harmonized System (HS) goods nomenclature and administers the technical aspects of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreements on Customs Valuation and Rules of Origin.
Every year the WCO holds an annual conference attended by policymakers, senior international logistics, trade compliance and supply chain managers, corporate and trade organization executives, academics, lawyers and others to inform them about the latest changes and technologies. This year the conference will be held 24-25 November in China. More details will be available soon. Check the website for information about the venue and agenda once they are available. |
Social Media Usage by Small Business
Take advantage of social media marketing
smallbiztrends.com
According to a survey of US small business leaders on their social media usage recently taken by the insurance company Hiscox, 47 percent of SMEs admit that they still don’t use social media at all for business purposes.
The article "The State of Social Media" from Small Business Trends will help you develop social media marketing strategies. Here you will find tips and ideas that will help you understand the importance of this new marketing channel to your business. |
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Published by FITA Online, 172 Fifth Ave., #118, Brooklyn, NY 11217 USA.
Copyright © 2011 GlobalTrade SAS. All rights reserved.
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