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Opening up export markets for small and medium-sized enterprises

Diminishing sales and turnover in the domestic market is a situation many SMEs in Switzerland have had to contend with in recent years. One way out of this situation could be to concentrate more on the exports of qualitatively high-end products and services. This is the method adopted by the independent family concern of Hasena AG, primarily engaged in the manufacture of bedsteads in Biel-Benken; they have a staff strength of 130 employees and are currently exporting their products to around 30 countries across the world. At the SME meet, Richard Grossbacher spoke about the strategy adopted by them by means of which they could increase the proportion of exports from 20% to 55% within a brief span of merely 10 years. With the support of Fargate AG, a breakthrough could be achieved in Japan to begin with, and later in other countries as well. Tony C. Bächle, Managing Partner of Fargate AG, pointed out in his speech that a timely start is imperative in such cases since export initiatives of competitors are not visible at the early stages. Fargate lays a lot of stress on establishing personal contacts and builds successful "glocal" bridges between producers in Switzerland and clients in target markets through local partners in those markets by the efficient use of the internet.

Dr. Richard Peter