ICT helps companies of high precision mechanics sector to develop their sales organization in new markets. Typical customers are Asian companies who are willing to distribute thier products in Europe or, viceversa, European customers who want to sell their products in Asian countries (mostly India and China): in both cases customers do not have a phisical presence in the target markets, do not understand the country industrial culture and, sometimes, do not have either the economies of scale capable to minimize the market entry costs.
Sales & Marketing
In these cases ICT can support the clients in two different ways: 1) helping them to create a network of distributors or agents that can cover the target territory and develop the sales, supporting in all marketing activities required to create the customer’s brand recognition; 2) managing directly the exclusive representation of the customer’s products in the territory, promoting the sales through ICT own network.
The second option is reserved to the cases when the customer’s products are complementary to those of ICT partners and the potential market shows a large enough overlap with the current ICT customers.
Other form of consultancy consists in helping customers to build the brand strength in the new market. In agreement with customer, such process is structured in comprehensive marketing plans through tools like the partecipation to dedicated exhibitions, the advertisements in dedicated magazines and/or blogs, the publishing of technical articles for specific magazines, the intervention in specialistic conferences and the web site development in local language (including SEO, Search Engine Optimization).
On the side of purchasing, ICT offers to the market the service of procurement of special or niche products. It normally deals with parts whose complexity and/or very low purchase volume make particularly difficult to find or to source them at convenient prices. In all these cases ICT professionals can support in finding the proper solution at good prices and short lead-times.
This is feasible through plenty of small-medium size dynamic and flexible suppliers of ICT network who are both capable to produce special parts in small batches and to offer very short lead-times. Such ICT expertise is, for instance, in products like diamond and hard metal tools, high quality stamped parts, casted parts, special bearing components in special materials and/or design, special bearings.