Seminar on Strategic Export Management at Chennai

Mr. M Rafeeque Ahmed, Past President, FIEO; (2nd from left) addressing the welcome address. Others, from left, Mr. Beg Raj Singh, Dy.DGFT; Mr. Subhash Chander, Chief Commissioner of Customs; and Mr. Badri Nivas, Vice President & Head Treasury Div., Citibank.

FIEO organized a two-day Seminar on "Strategic Export Management" in Chennai on 22 and 23 April 2008 in association with Citibank. Mr. Subhash Chander, Chief Commissioner of Customs, Mr. S. Ananthakrishnan, Joint Commissioner of Customs, Mr. Beg Raj Singh, Dy. DGFT, Mr. Badri Nivas, Vice President & Head Treasury Division, Citibank and Mr. Anirban Banerjee, Asst. Vice President-Trade Operations, Citibank, Trade Finance Division and about 60 exporters participated in the Seminar.

While welcoming the faculties and participants, FIEO’s Past President, Mr. Rafeeque Ahmed said export-import management in the 21st century requires knowledge about EXIM procedures, forex risk management, trade finance, strategies, rules, marketing techniques, etc. He said export business is affected by various internal and external factors and one has to keep himself abreast of that. He hoped that the Seminar would be an ideal platform for the exporters to discuss and deliberate on the current trends of export industry.

Welcoming the steps announced in the final Annual Supplement to FTP (2004-09), Mr. Ahmed informed that the Policy initiatives in the last four years had led to increased trading activities and had generated additional employment for 136 lakh people.

Mr. Badri Nivas in his address said that economic indicators in US were not encouraging and US$ could weaken further. He advised the exporters to use various foreign exchange risk management tools to safeguard themselves against volatile forex market.

Mr. Subhash Chander in his inaugural address informed that the Chennai Customs (both Air and sea) was looking to make Chennai Port as number one port in India both in value and volume terms. He said the performance of Chennai Port has improved considerably in the last 6-7 months.

Regarding continuous rise of rupee against dollar, Mr. Chander said that the exporters should find alternative markets and use latest management techniques to compete in the international market. Meanwhile, he suggested that the interest rates for exports should be brought down to at least 7-8%.

During the Technical Sessions, Mr. Anirban Banerjee made a presentation Trade Credits covering various trade services related to Import and Export Finance. He elaborated on common trade terms, common trade documents, various regulations governing trade and various costs involved during shipments, LC negotiation/discounting the document requirements, common issues related to LC discrepancies, buyers credit vs. suppliers credit etc.

A view of the participants.

Mr. M. Saikumar, Additional Export Commissioner and Zonal Jt. DGFT, in his valedictory address informed that for effective international trade management one should be well versed in international trade compliance and specialization in trade finance and export market management. A good knowledge about E-Commerce and Virtual Trading will help enhance exports, added he.

FIEO’s Vice President Mr. A. Sakthivel, while presiding over the valedictory function of the Seminar at Chennai, informed that with the growing global competition, Indian managers must be professionally knowledgeable and graciously competitive. Ongoing strategic planning  keeps successful companies  at  the top,  but,  strategy, no matter how well defined, does not deliver value until deployed. In order to effectively handle international trade, Mr. Sakthivel suggested the following:
Mr. A Sathivel, Vice President, FIEO delivering Presidential address.

  • Learn to use creative financing as a marketing tool. Spot potential exposures in new markets. Avoid the major pitfalls of international freight shipments.

  • Gain entry into world markets.

  • Determine how your products and services can best compete globally. Structure an effective export program...understand key distribution logistics and foreign tax considerations.

  • Meet sales and service demands.

  • Recognize the factors involved in global customer service. Negotiate problems the right way. Leverage the benefits of third-party logistics. Apply quality control procedures. Control the terms of sale.

  • Reduce costs. Negotiate better rates. Get the best service contracts. Assess the value of using consolidators.

  • Learn the ins and outs of shipping equipment overseas for temporary use. Ship perishable freight safely. Evaluate air versus ocean shipping. Observe key practices if you’re in the entertainment or communications industry.

  • Fine-tune your documentation.

  • Identify banking and credit options. Manage letters of credit.

  • Learn the science and art of properly packing for transit. Minimize losses in transporting bulk liquids, pulp, and paper. Understand the variables of containerization, sea, and air shipping.

  • Insure against physical, political, and credit risk. Learn the liability basics. Get more from your marine insurance.

  • Automate key documentation. Track and trace more accurately. Know what to expect from your EDI carrier.

  • Understand geographic demands.

  • Develop networking channels. Understand the landed cost. Attract quality personnel.

  • Make the most of such resources as FIEO, Export Promotion Councils, Chambers of Commerce, state governments, world trade centers, commercial banks, and others.

  • Explore the possibilities inherent in free trade zones (FTZs) and custom bonded warehouses.

Korean Centers promoting tie-ups between SMEs

Small Business Corporation (SBC) is a South Korean Government organization supporting Korean small and medium enterprises. Since its establishment in 1979, SBC provides financial assistance, consulting, training, marketing support etc. to increase the global competitiveness of SMEs.

SBC has set up Korean Business Development Centers (KBDC) worldwide to assist Korean SMEs launch their businesses overseas and explore investment opportunities. Office space, business development assistance and other business incubation services are provided by SBC to help Korean companies locate foreign business partners for joint ventures, business collaboration etc. and to establish their own manufacturing or distributing facility in foreign location.

SBC-KBDC India initiated its operations in India in November 2006 and ever since has been facilitating joint venture, licensing arrangement, technical collaboration, contracting and other business cooperation between Korean and Indian SMEs. The Center currently has 12 Korean SMEs, which are operating from KBDC premise in New Delhi. KBDC has signed MOUs with National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) and Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) for promoting cooperation between SMEs of the two countries.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Ji Hoon Le, Chief Representative, Small Business Corporation, Korea Business Development Center, A-26/4 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Estate, New Delhi-110044, Tel:91-11-41678601; Fax: 40512481; Email:newdelhi@sbc-kbdc.com;Web:www.kbdcindia.com; www.sbc.or.kr/eng.

 

Federation of Indian Export Organisations
New Delhi, INDIA.