https://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/UK.jpg628591Louise Cunninghamhttps://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/EI_Logo_Primary_1_300x74_RGB.pngLouise Cunningham2018-08-25 13:52:162023-08-31 14:56:41Key questions to ask at your UK Market Advisor meeting
Ireland enjoys a unique advantage in trading with the US because of our deep historical links, in fact, it is Ireland’s second-largest export market, with almost 800 Irish companies operating across the United States.
If you are considering doing business in the US, please be sure to explore our tips to enter the market below and also be sure to reach out to our dedicated team.
The US is the world’s largest economy and is it the most competitive market in the world. Ensure your value proposition is differentiated before you try to acquire customers.
The population of the State of Alabama is the same as the entire Republic of Ireland, while Ireland’s GDP is similar to that of Colorado. It may be of benefit to take a more regional approach to your US market development, and not just gravitate to the main cities and economic centres. Spend some time understanding where the largest market opportunity and highest concentration of your customers may be.
Building rapport is very important in the US. Spend time developing relationships with your key target customers/buyers.
Attention to detail is valued in US business culture. US buyers will expect high-quality sales & marketing collateral, and it’s important that your collateral is updated with US-specific grammar and spelling.
Approach the market with a “customer needs” perspective not a “product” or “technology” perspective. What is the problem you are trying to solve with your product or service?
If you would like to know what to prepare ahead of your first MA call, click the graphic below
https://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/graphic-thumbnail_USA-591x628.jpg628592Louise Cunninghamhttps://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/EI_Logo_Primary_1_300x74_RGB.pngLouise Cunningham2018-08-25 13:52:142023-08-31 14:33:21Enterprise Ireland’s top tips for entering the US market
Mike Hogan, Manager for Middle East & North Africa at Enterprise Ireland, explains why the world’s oldest export market should be on the horizon of Irish exporters.
In an era in which there is much talk of emerging markets for Irish exporters, Egypt can claim to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, export markets in the world. The pharaohs of ancient Egypt governed a nation that imported huge quantities of wood, metal and precious stones from neighbouring kingdoms. Today, as throughout history, Egypt is a key geographical gateway with a land connection to the continent of Africa and the Middle East and, through the Suez Canal, the sea lanes of Asia and the Mediterranean.
Ireland’s trading relationship with Egypt is more recent, developing in the 1970s and 1980s with the export of cattle and beef, evolving into a market worth over €100 million for exporters today. Much of this trade collapsed in the aftermath of the Arab Spring and the period of political turmoil that followed. However, with the devaluation of the Egyptian Pound in late 2016, and a sustained period of economic liberalisation, Egypt’s economy rebounded. It is now growing at 5.5%, the fastest in the Arab world. Egypt is attracting renewed interest, with over 30 Enterprise Ireland-supported companies attending a ‘Doing Business in Egypt’ event in Dublin on April 16th. Clearly, there is optimism that Ireland can reclaim lost exports and widen its portfolio into sectors such as food products, ICT, life sciences, education services, travel tech and agritech.
Cork’s Mervue Laboratories are active in the Egyptian animal nutrition market, aiming to double exports over the next three years. Commercial Director, William Twomey, says, “Egypt has massive potential and must be a target market for any serious animal health company. It can also be used as a gateway to surrounding markets, which is very attractive.”
While Irish eyes tend to focus on South Africa and Nigeria as Africa’s biggest economies, Egypt is the continent’s second-largest economy. This status was buoyed by the discovery of the offshore Zohr natural gas ‘superfield’ in 2015. Egypt’s economy should be understood within a wider context. It is a lower middle-income country akin to Vietnam and Indonesia, with a population of over 100 million. Unique in the Middle East, it has a sophisticated industrial base producing white goods, textiles, industrial goods, electronics and components, and an emerging automotive sector that includes among its exports London’s iconic red double-decker buses, but with hybrid engines. Within these sectors lie strong opportunities for Ireland’s industrial sub-supply and services sectors. Openet and Openmind Networks from Ireland’s telecoms cluster already sell to Egyptian mobile operators, and with Egyptians spending USD $6.1 billion per annum on media and recreation, there is scope to expand our digital content solutions.
Egypt maintains a strong position in the fast-growing global halal pharmaceuticals and cosmetics sector. It is the fourth-largest Muslim consumer food market, behind Indonesia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Egypt has already been targeted as a key market for Irish dairy product exports, and the rapid expansion of its retail sector, including large scale shopping malls and the emergence of hyperstore operators such as Carrefour, will potentially generate opportunities for the wider Irish food sector.
Thomas Cook brought its first tourists to Egypt in 1869. The country’s rich cultural heritage and beach resorts contributed a record 19.5% of GDP in 2007. Since then, its tourist sector has suffered shocks, due to terrorist attacks and the downing of a Russian Metrojet airliner in 2015. That triggered the cancellation of flights from key markets such as Russia and the UK. As the security situation stabilises, tourism has started to recover, with revenues jumping 123% in 2017, and higher-spending German and Russian tourists set to return in 2018. The tourism sector is rife for modernisation, presenting a clear opportunity for the Irish tourism and travel tech cluster to assist Egypt to develop and reposition its product. Enterprise Ireland’s own travel plans include sectoral visits for Irish companies in autumn 2018 with the goal of re-establishing Egypt as an important Irish export destination.
If you’re exporting internationally and interested in researching new markets learn more about the Market Discovery Fund.
https://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Egypt_the_original_export_market_960x600.jpg600960Louise Cunninghamhttps://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/EI_Logo_Primary_1_300x74_RGB.pngLouise Cunningham2018-07-30 10:03:072018-07-30 10:09:41Egypt: the original export market
“We had started doing a lot of data centre projects for US multinationals in Ireland so we decided to look at the Netherlands as Amsterdam is a hub of activity for data centres.” – Paul Butler, director, Linesight
Key Takeouts:
Enterprise Ireland trade missions and market introductions a key success factor.
Excellence in service and personnel a key differentiator and competitive advantage.
Dutch data centre business a bridgehead for growing other sectors and European markets.
Case Study: Linesight
Five years ago Dublin-headquartered firm Linesight decided to go on fact-finding missions to the Netherlands with the help of Enterprise Ireland. It was a move which has led to around 70% growth in its fee base in that market since then and an increase in its team based there from four to 30 people.
Linesight provides professional services and strategic support to the global construction industry. Projects span a range of industry sectors including commercial, data centres, life sciences, healthcare, transportation and infrastructure and retail.
Originally established in 1974 as Bruce Shaw, Linesight rebranded in 2016 with a view to having a name that could be owned in all markets. The name Linesight was inspired by the company having its clients’ goals in their direct line of sight from initial concept through to successful project completion.
With staff located across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and North America, Linesight increased its global headcount by 135 and recorded turnover of about €60m for the group in 2016. It now has 17 offices around the world and has delivered projects in 40 countries.
Linesight’s growth in the first 30 years or so was mainly focused on Ireland and the UK where it established a number of offices. When the recession hit in 2008, it had built up a 25% market share in the domestic market for professional services to the construction industry. It had also generated a limited amount of international business.
The downturn in construction at home prompted the company to look at international markets more keenly and the Benelux region – and the Netherlands in particular – seemed a promising area to focus on. It had worked on five or six small projects there, but further to building up expertise and skills in data centre projects it saw an opportunity.
“We had started doing a lot of data centre projects for US multinationals in Ireland so we decided to look at the Netherlands as Amsterdam is a hub of activity for data centres,” says Linesight director Paul Butler.
“In addition, a lot of pharmaceutical multinationals were starting to set up subsidiary plants in the Benelux region. We recognised that we had the relevant in-house expertise and key staff delivering professional services in these areas. We wanted to retain that staff and the Netherlands was of particular interest to us.”
Linesights’s Partnership with Enterprise Ireland:
Attended a series of Enterprise Ireland workshops on data centres.
Benefitted from introductions to the market/local contractors organised by Enterprise Ireland.
Participated in Taoiseach’s trade mission to the Netherlands and Germany.
To see how Enterprise Ireland has enabled Linesight’s success, click here.
Competitive advantage through people
Over the years Linesight had established a partnership approach with clients based on consistency and clarity, and it has a proven track record in terms of quality and timely delivery of projects. This stood to the company when it came to building business in the Netherlands.
“For some of our clients developing projects in the Dutch market we were preferred bidders and travelled there with them as part of their team, offering the same service as we had in the Irish market,” Butler explains.
“Other projects involved competitive bidding as companies may have had their own in-house auditing functions – but we were also very competitive in winning that work.”
Some multinational clients even requested that certain individuals from Linesight work on projects with them in the Netherlands, Butler adds, “Our people are key in terms of generating repeat business. Senior project managers see projects through from cradle to grave and directors oversee projects on a 24/7 basis. The personal relationships built up over time have been very important.”
The Netherlands has been a relatively easy market for Linesight to enter as English is widely spoken and its framework in terms of contracting is similar to Ireland’s. “Being fluent contractually is a different thing than being able to speak a language. In other European countries language can be a barrier in this respect. We demand that contractors deal with us in English in the Netherlands,” says Butler.
That being said, once Linesight started to focus on the Dutch market, it invested a lot of time in ensuring it had the right contractors and partners to deliver projects to the standard required. It also had to get to grips with different regulations in relation to construction, planning codes and timeframes.
“Even within the Netherlands different regions are more regulated in terms of construction. For example, near the German border there is still a lot of heavy industry, which contrasts with the Amsterdam area,” says Butler.
“We had to stretch our web of contractors beyond the Amsterdam area. Now we have a high level of tried and trusted partners in the Netherlands that we know will deliver for us.”
Now that Linesight is established in the Dutch market it is looking at new opportunities within its existing client base, such as in the retail and pharmaceutical sectors. It also wants to take advantage of some new areas, in particular in relation to the local supply chain and newly built logistics centres.
“There are some very good companies competing with us for business. What differentiates us, in addition to our people, is the fact that we are an all-in company that can provide cost management, project management and risk assessment. This is vital for a lot of big multinationals,” notes Butler.
“A significant proportion of our people have backgrounds in civil, electrical or mechanical engineering – so our service is not just about number crunching, they can understand the design. They can go through drawings with clients in great detail and are fluent in engineering language.”
Gaining a foothold in the Netherlands has led to Linesight building business in Germany and Belgium. Once clients’ projects are completed in the Netherlands, it has extended its network to continue working with them in other locations.
“They want the consistent, clean approach of dealing with us, rather than having to educate a new local provider in their needs and ways. The flexibility of our people and operation has been key to our success.”
Top Tips for Exporting to Europe:
Be flexible and adapt to the needs of major multinational customers.
Build a strong local presence to really be successful in a market.
Harness the Irish mentality of ‘getting the job done’.
https://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/download-2-1.jpg750500Louise Cunninghamhttps://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/EI_Logo_Primary_1_300x74_RGB.pngLouise Cunningham2018-06-03 08:07:392019-06-19 14:02:47Linesight Maximises Data Centre Opportunity in the Netherlands
The Enterprise Ireland supports availed of by Combilift in Co. Monaghan over the past 20 years have ranged from trade mission participation to ongoing R&D support.
Materials handling equipment manufacturer Comblift has availed of Enterprise Ireland supports in the areas of research and development (R&D) and overseas markets since it was first established in 1997 in Co. Monaghan.
“We knew even from year one that we would have to be very focused on product development and investing in R&D and have found Enterprise Ireland to have been very supportive over the years in this regard,” says managing director of Combilift Martin McVicar.
“When it comes to entering new markets people in Enterprise Ireland offices will get out on the road with a company. In Germany, Kevin Buckley not only helped me to set up meetings but joined me in the car for three days going up and down the country meeting potential distributors.”
Combilift has also found the trade missions led by Enterprise Ireland to be very beneficial, as they have given the company great credibility in various markets — particularly with big customers and dealers. It has been on a number of trade missions, including to Saudi Arabia and Texas.
“Potential customers really put value on a trade mission. They demonstrate that your company must be a serious contender if it is endorsed by a government minister.”
Trade missions have assisted in driving sales for Combilift. For example during a trade mission to the United Arab Emirates two years ago it announced it was opening a new factory. Coincidentally a potential customer in the market, Agility Logistics, was at the announcement.
“Once operations manager of Agility Logistics Mohammed Jaber saw that Combilift was important to Irish government ministers he placed €400,000 worth of business with us.”
Other supports which Combilift has found beneficial include the Leadership for Growth programme as well as quarterly meetings of a mid-tier engineering group arranged by Enterprise Ireland over the past 18 months. “These meetings help to foster a scaling mindset – it is a stepping stone to creating the equivalent of a ‘Mittelstand’ of engineering companies in Ireland’.”
https://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/download-27.jpg1125750Louise Cunninghamhttps://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/EI_Logo_Primary_1_300x74_RGB.pngLouise Cunningham2018-05-09 12:31:112018-07-16 13:42:22Enterprise Ireland Instrumental in the Scaling of Combilift
Mike Hogan Manager for the Middle East & North Africa at Enterprise Ireland, describes surprising similarities that are creating opportunities for Irish exporters to Oman.
If someone described a neutral country with a rapidly growing population of 4.5m people, which is held in good standing by neighbours, whose people have a reputation for hospitality and being great talkers, with a distinctive style of traditional music, you might think they were referring to Ireland.
There is also, however, a country in the Middle East that matches that profile – the Sultanate of Oman. Oman has become a growing market for Irish companies and a gateway to additional markets in the wider Middle East, countries where Ireland currently has a weak export footprint, located along East Africa’s Indian Ocean coast.
Innovation creating opportunities for Irish businesses
A recent Trade Mission, composed of 32 Irish companies and led by the then Tánaiste, Frances Fitzgerald, testified to the growing importance of Oman as a regional commercial hub. Three Enterprise Ireland-backed companies, Ding, iheed and mAdme, announced deals and partnerships with Oman-based companies during the Trade Mission.
Talal Said Al Mamari, CEO of Omantel, affirmed the importance of Irish innovation, saying, “We are always looking for innovative ways to communicate and interact with customers to better understand their experiences and expectations. Using mAdme’s platform allows us to enhance that experience by engaging customers at the right moment with exactly the right content.”
Agreements were signed by Enterprise Ireland and Atlantic Bridge with the state-backed Oman Technology Fund (OTF). A major aim of these agreements is to further aid market entry for Enterprise Ireland clients to Oman and to position Ireland as a hub for Omani companies with plans to expand their presence in the EU. The OTF aims to learn from Ireland’s experience as a world-leading technology start-up centre to support the development of its own start-up ecosystem, tailored to the needs of the Gulf region. A related initiative has seen the OTF partner with Ireland’s National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) to run a pre-seed accelerator programme in the Omani capital of Muscat.
Oman is focused on increasing diversification to drive economic growth, creating opportunities for Irish companies to assist in the process. David Shackleton, Ding’s Chief Executive, described the strengths that attracted his company to the region, “Oman is a significant and exciting growth opportunity for Ding given the flourishing economy and a proactive approach to world-leading technology. We are thrilled to partner with Asia Express Exchange across more than 30 branches.”
Irish companies already have strong positions in sectors such as ICT, healthcare, engineering and education, with almost 650 Omanis currently in higher education in Ireland. New opportunities are quickly emerging in sectors including aviation, agritech, aquaculture, food production and eLearning, in which Ireland has a strong export offering.
Doing business in Oman
Oman has developed a reputation as the ‘Switzerland of the Middle East’, maintaining strong political and commercial relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran. Leveraging its network of friendly states, Oman is developing its status as a logistics hub, with the expansion and development of major ports at Salalah, Duqm and Sohar, and upgrades to international airports in Muscat and Salalah. The country is currently building out a railway network to connect its three port cities with Gulf neighbours. Boosting private sector participation in the economy is a key goal, as well as investment in indigenous food production, mining, shipbuilding and repair. Enhanced training of the Omani workforce is a priority, with 60% of the population under 30 years of age.
Perched on the Arabian Peninsula, with 1,700 km of coastline, Oman is an emerging tourist destination, with beautiful beaches and landscapes, coupled with outstanding nature and heritage tourism. Aiming to target up to 5 million foreign tourists by 2020, Oman expects to host 4 million foreign tourists in 2017 alone. There is a substantial opportunity for Ireland to assist Oman in developing its tourism capacity, in areas such as training, infrastructure, and ICT travel and tourism solutions. Clearly, whether for business or for pleasure, Oman will continue to be an attractive new market for Ireland.
https://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/OmanIreland_.jpg5631000Louise Cunninghamhttps://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/EI_Logo_Primary_1_300x74_RGB.pngLouise Cunningham2018-02-05 09:11:122019-06-19 15:46:51Oman: the Ireland of the Middle East
“People sometimes see an R&D grant as something to get a product to market, but a reputation for innovation also increases your brand value and drives sales all by itself.”
– Paul Stack, Operations Director, Marco Beverage Systems.
Key Takeouts:
Enterprise Ireland’s funding helped drive culture of innovation.
Leading-edge technology transformed brand awareness and opened new markets. R&D for one product generated platform technologies that could be used in others.
Case Study: Marco Beverage Systems
“It’s important as an SME to be able to afford to continually innovate,” says Paul Stack. “In our business, we generally get about a seven-to-ten-year product lifetime, so innovation is key to replacing and renewing products.” Stack is Operations Director at Marco Beverage Systems, a hot water delivery systems company, headquartered in Dublin.
The company, which provides systems for coffee and tea brewing in the food and beverage industry, is a recipient of Enterprise Ireland’s RD&I funding.
Its range of products includes water boilers and coffee brewers. Marco has manufacturing plants in Dublin and China, and distribution offices in America, Europe, the Middle East and China, giving the company global reach.
80 per cent of Marco’s products are exported: an increase from 68 per cent only three years ago. It has just under 100 employees globally, with approximately 60 based in Ireland, and its products can be seen in significant coffee, tea and catering locations, including familiar names like Starbucks, Bewley’s and Costa Coffee.
The company’s success is fuelled by its emphasis on innovation. This focus, and a desire to expand it, led the company to apply for RD&I funding from Enterprise Ireland back in 2004. “The main considerations for our design team are energy efficiency, beverage excellence and design excellence, incorporating user experience and aesthetics,” says Stack.
“Energy efficiency has been a major success for us in terms of cutting-edge design. Over 50 per cent of the energy footprint associated with a cup of tea or coffee is in brewing it,” Stack points out. “Our R&D department has significantly reduced the amount of energy our products use, and one of our products is 70 per cent more energy-efficient than anything else on the market globally, which is a great selling point.”
One example of a product that has benefitted from the Marco Beverage Systems R&D program is the Uber Boiler, launched in 2009. This one-cup coffee brewing station has replaced more traditional bulk coffee systems in many cafés and restaurants. It allows baristas to have more control over a recipe and brings them closer to the front of the shop to interact with customers.
The Uber Boiler and similar systems are now a common sight in coffee shops, but when the company first developed this product it had a big effect on the industry. “The product completely changed how our brand was seen in the marketplace as it was so innovative. It opened doors for us, especially in new regions like America. People came to us because of the popularity of the technology,” says Stack.
The company has also found that R&D for one product can generate platform technologies that can be used in others. A separate research project for a different product resulted in innovations that contributed to an automatic version of the Uber Boiler, the SP9, demonstrating the types of cross-pollination that an R&D program can produce.
“People sometimes see an R&D grant as something to get a product to market, but a reputation for innovation also increases your brand value and drives sales all by itself. R&D drives a whole culture of innovation in your business, which keeps you relevant and sets you apart from competitors,” explains Stack. “I wouldn’t just suggest that other Irish SMEs conduct R&D – I consider it absolutely critical. Enterprise Ireland’s funding can really drive this forward.”
https://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/article-1.jpg10001778Louise Cunninghamhttps://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/EI_Logo_Primary_1_300x74_RGB.pngLouise Cunningham2018-02-03 13:17:512018-05-28 14:52:24Game-changing brewing technology boosts brand value for Marco Beverage Systems
“The Business Innovation Initiative funding allowed us to set up an advisory group of industry experts from across the globe. We worked with them to review the market, decide what technologies were needed and develop something new.”
– Fergal Lawlor, CEO, Alpha Wireless
Case Study: Alpha Wireless
“The telecommunications market is changing rapidly; 5G is on the way, and new antennas are required to provide increased data capacity while meeting new stringent environmental standards and legislation” says Fergal Lawlor. “We need our R&D team to consistently come up with innovative new products so we can stay relevant.” Lawlor is CEO of Alpha Wireless, an antenna manufacturer headquartered in Portlaoise.
Alpha Wireless, a recipient of RD&I funding and Business Innovation Initiative funding from Enterprise Ireland, develops and supplies a range of antennas that allow phone masts to communicate with devices such as smartphones.
The company is export-focused; approximately 90–95 percent of its sales are in overseas markets, with North America and Israel among the biggest. A recent round of funding from Enterprise Ireland, however, saw the company develop a product specifically to suit the needs of a market a little closer to home – the UK.
Throughout towns and cities, antennas for telecommunications are now being integrated with street infrastructure, rather than mounted on large masts. This is driven by environmental aesthetics, and is rigorously policed by national planning authorities. Alpha Wireless worked closely with its customers in the UK to design a new product tailored to follow the UK’s specific regulations. Enterprise Ireland’s Business Innovation Initiative funding was key to this effort.
Key Takeouts
Enterprise Ireland’s Business Innovation Initiative funding allowed Alpha Wireless to respond to an emerging market need, initially for the UK market, but with the potential to expand to other international markets.
RD&I funding helped the company to develop a new type of combined antenna solution.
The new product allowed the company to increase sales, exports and number of employees.
“The Business Innovation Initiative funding allowed us to set up an advisory group of industry experts from across the globe,” says Lawlor. “We worked with them to review the market, decide what technologies were needed and develop a new concept.”
Many of the challenges were not just specific to the UK market. The combination of the industry panel and a dedicated on-site R&D department helped the company to tailor its solution and break into the market. They needed to integrate multiple antennas into a cylindrical tube that sits on top of a street pole. “UK planning permission and zoning requirements meant that we had only a 330mm-diameter tube for all the required antennas,” explains Lawlor. The challenge was to get the antenna’s multi-band functionality into that space. The Alpha Wireless researchers needed to miniaturise the technology but keep as much of its functionality as possible.
“It took us six to nine months to design the combined antenna, which was intense in terms of R&D resources. The RD&I funding came in very useful during this period and helped us increase the size of our R&D team,” recalls Lawlor.
The result was a complete suite of antennas small enough to be mounted onto a lamppost, providing coverage at street level where it is really needed. The company’s focus on learning the needs of its market, and the resulting innovative technology, has paid dividends.
Since applying for the Enterprise Ireland funding in 2015, Alpha Wireless sales in the UK are now in the millions and it has more than doubled its Irish workforce to 120 employees. It’s not resting on these laurels, though; combined antenna solutions have global potential, and Alpha Wireless has begun selling variations elsewhere, including the US, Canada and Greece.
Lawlor is enthusiastic about the funding the company received from Enterprise Ireland and explains that the application process can help companies to think strategically. “We always keep our business plan up to date, so applying for the Enterprise Ireland funding was a simple task,” he says. “However, for a company that isn’t already forward-looking then the application will help, by providing an opportunity to think strategically and plan.”
Click here to learn more about Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation supports.
The reality of the business opportunity in Africa is often different to what SMEs first assume. Beyond the ‘glass half-empty’ headlines lies an expanding market in the second-fastest growing region in the world. Rapid growth has created opportunities for Irish exporters in key sectors such as international education, healthcare, ICT, telco, fintech and aviation.
The scale of the opportunity is evident in the market size alone. Eastern Africa is home to 460 million people, 6% of the world’s population. Kenya acts as an ideal gateway into the region’s target market of 250 million people, covering Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania, in addition to Kenya itself.
The market in the region is developing quickly in ways that benefit Irish businesses. Ethiopia’s economy continues to experience exponential growth, and Kenya, with its rising African middle class clustered mainly in urban areas. 30% of its middle class live in Nairobi, offering a dense market for exporters to the region.
The growth of the Kenyan middle class is creating opportunities for Irish exporters in sectors including education and healthcare. 400,000 African students travel abroad to undertake undergraduate and postgraduate studies every year, creating an enormous market for Ireland’s education sector. Uncertainty generated by Brexit has created huge potential for Ireland to increase the number of African students that study here. A number of Irish universities are leveraging opportunities in the sector. During a trade visit to Kenya, Griffith College signed a partnership agreement with Nairobi’s Riara University, which sees it support the education of the country’s growing youth population. Minister Coveney also awarded International Computer Driving Licence certificates to students who are among the country’s rising skilled workforce.
Irish companies are using innovative technologies to help improve the quality of the region’s medical care. Enterprise Ireland facilitated a multimillion agreement between Novaerus Ireland and Quinton’s Pharmacy, a Kenyan based company, which is set to change the landscape of infections control and prevention in East Africa. Through its partnership with Quinton’s, Novaerus is adding value to Kenya’s healthcare system, reducing the number of infections in hospital environments and creating cost savings of approximately €12 million.
Dublin-based company Vitro Software announced a multi-million US dollar contract with The Nairobi Hospital, one of the most prestigious private hospitals in East Africa. Vitro’s electronic medical record software helps reduce change management challenges and deliver better patient outcomes. Mr. Odundo of The Nairobi Hospital affirmed the importance of innovation to the partnership, saying, “This initiative will bear great testimony to our ability to be innovative in all matters that ensure the highest standards are met.” For Declan Daly, CEO Vitro Software, the agreement is a gateway to the broader East African region, “We are now well placed to grow, not just in Kenya, but to other sub-Saharan countries.”
A number of strengths make Kenya a great gateway for Irish exporters considering expansion to Africa. The port of Mombasa is a key transit point, not just for imports and exports to and from Kenya, but also to and from Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The national air carrier Kenya Airways flies to more than 50 destinations in Africa and has direct connections to Asia and Europe.
Recognising the potential of the market, Enterprise Ireland appointed a dedicated trade representative for Kenya, based in Nairobi. Furthermore, there are a number of planned conferences and trade missions, upcoming. Enterprise Ireland’s advisors can help companies to identify opportunities in East Africa, get introductions to Kenyan buyers and potential partners, and get informed about important procedures, market entry barriers and license requirements.
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“We looked at ways of automating our day-to-day operations so as much of the business as possible is focused on R&D and creating new features & products.”
– David Shackleton, CEO, Ding
KEY TAKEOUTS
Developing proprietary technologies led to huge competitive advantage.
New products and improved technology enhanced user experience and drove success.
Enterprise Ireland offices abroad enabled rapid expansion into foreign markets.
Case Study: Ding
Irish SME Ding offers consumers an easy way to deliver mobile top-ups to friends and family in over 130 countries. People can add data or minutes using the Ding app or website, or by walking into one of 600,000 stores worldwide.
The company allows users to deliver credit to phones from over 400 different operators, with a reach of four billion phones.
“It’s a simple idea, but the complexity becomes a huge challenge when you do it at scale,” explains Ding CEO, David Shackleton.
The company started selling phone top-ups in 2006, but with just a little marketing new customers quickly came on board.
“Back then we had a pretty clunky technology platform, but as people realised they could use this service to provide a gift in another country, word quickly spread,” recalls Shackleton. Ding is especially popular among expats with links to Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
Ding received RD&I grants from Enterprise Ireland that were particularly crucial in its early days. “We were able to invest and build up proprietary technologies and push the envelope in terms of the platform’s scale, which has given us a massive competitive advantage,” says Shackleton.
The three major corridors for Ding’s business are currently North America to Latin and Central America, Europe to Africa, and the Middle East to Asia. With 190 employees, 130 of them in Ireland, the company had gross revenues last year of half a billion dollars. It continues to enhance the user experience by improving its technology. Shackleton believes that: “every pre-paid phone in the world – which is 85 per cent of phones – should have an app that’s able to do top-ups. That’s a huge opportunity.”
One project supported by an Enterprise Ireland grant illustrates how solving a complex problem can simplify life for consumers. A customer can walk into a shop, ask to put €5 onto a mobile phone number elsewhere in the world, and Ding handles the rest. “We developed a piece of technology that allows us to predict from somebody’s phone number which mobile operator they use,” says Shackleton.
“It’s a really nice, seamless experience for the user, but behind the scenes there’s a lot of complexity involved in doing it.”
The Enterprise Ireland funding pushed the company to think about what represented business as usual and what was innovative. “Recently, we looked a lot at ways of automating our day-to-day operations so as much of the business as possible is focused on R&D and creating new features,” explains Shackleton. Ding often releases over 20 updates in a single week, such as support for new mobile operators, improved user flow on Ding’s website, or improved content on the app. “You could develop an app for €10,000 but to be truly world-class and operate at scale, the backend system needs to be sophisticated, which takes millions of euros and years upon years of learning and development.”
The core platform runs hundreds of transactions every second, with a surge at peak times on Friday nights and Saturdays. The company also runs deep learning algorithms and machine learning to manage and monitor fraud, and underpin digital marketing initiatives. According to Shackleton: “We can do a reasonably accurate prediction of what a customer might be worth to us over time, which enables us to spend confidently in terms of digital marketing.”
Headquartered in Dublin, the company has regional offices in Miami, Dubai, Barcelona, San Salvador, Bucharest and Dhaka. Shackleton credits Enterprise Ireland offices abroad with allowing the company to expand to markets as diverse as Russia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia: “we couldn’t have done business in all those countries without their help.”
https://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Ding.png11001500Louise Cunninghamhttps://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/EI_Logo_Primary_1_300x74_RGB.pngLouise Cunningham2018-01-07 13:33:522019-02-06 14:27:16Ding credits innovation for growth
Enterprise Ireland clients Gerry Mullins from pTools Software in Dublin and Paul McCarthy, Full Health Medical in Mayo have Europe, South Africa and UAE on their ambition list.
To learn more about Enterprise Ireland supports and for further information on our international office network click here
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With the lifting of economic sanctions, Iran could well be THE global market growth story of the coming year
It isn’t often that a large and mature economy opens for business with half the world in one fell swoop. But that’s exactly what occurred, following the lifting of sanctions, on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Only the Saudi Arabian economy is currently bigger in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and Iran, with a population of some 80 million, almost two-thirds of whom are under 30, is poised to challenge for the number one spot in the coming years.
First Steps
Tehran Honorary Consul for Ireland in Iran Alireza Feizollahi says that a path is now being beaten to Iran’s door.
“Right now, if you want to book a hotel in Tehran, it’s almost impossible. Trade delegations are coming here every week from all over the world,” Feizollahi says. But he cautions that this is a highly regulated country and companies must carefully study the market to see how they can be successful.
Sean Davis, Enterprise Ireland’s Manager for the MENA region, has been closely following developments in Iran’s $400 billion economy. He points to a very real hunger in the Iranian business community for new technology and innovation to fuel economic development.
“Iran has been on the side lines of global growth for some time, and there is a huge appetite to redress that. All around, you get the sense of people driven to capitalise on the new opportunities.”
Given the closed nature of the economy in recent times, primary research, in the form of market visits and relationship building, is highly recommended. Davis stresses that preparation and planning are very important on every front, from securing the necessary business visa to identifying the best way to utilise your time there.
“Though English is commonly spoken, it doesn’t predominate. You won’t be able to use your ATM or credit cards, and Tehran is a very large and very busy city, and by no means cheap. Packing a short itinerary with meetings that criss-cross the city isn’t going to be a runner,” he warns.
Enterprise Ireland supported a number of exploratory visits, with sectors such as healthcare, aviation, agri-tech, education, ICT, financial services and fintech, all in the mix. Fintech is likely to be among the more immediate opportunities given that the country’s financial services sector requires considerable investment and upgrading as it reconnects with its peers across the globe.
For clients, Davis recommends the first step is to contact Enterprise Ireland itself. “We are building a contact base of people Irish companies can reach out to, who will help suggest meetings and allow them to hit the ground running.”
Search for Quality
Dr Amir Kordvani, a senior associate with international law firm Clyde & Co, advises on sectoral investments across the Middle East and recently undertook a detailed look at the potential Iran offers to companies across the business spectrum. “What Iranian businesses are looking for, and it will be a requirement to any procurement proposal, is to show that you are bringing the very latest know-how and technology to the country. They are not interested in something from 10 years ago,” he says.
Irish companies are frequently warned of long sales cycles when they enter a new market, but Kordvani’s view is that Iran could represent something of an exception. “It really depends on how strong you are in the area you are operating. However, generally, Iranians are very commercially minded, value strong relationships and are very frank and open, so it doesn’t take that long to build trust from that perspective.”
A final, but important, piece of advice is to recognise that, whatever field you operate in, the value of quality customer service as a differentiator cannot be overstated. “In the past, customer service has been very poor in Iran,” Dr Kordvani says.
“If you want to lead and exploit your opportunity, then you should prioritise your customer service and your after-sales support as much as the quality of your product. Companies that can do that will be very well rewarded in this market.”
https://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/download-36.jpg10001500Louise Cunninghamhttps://globalambition.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/EI_Logo_Primary_1_300x74_RGB.pngLouise Cunningham2017-11-07 16:31:222018-10-24 14:15:54Iran: From Zero to Trading Hero?
Dr Amir Kordvani, a senior associate with international law firm Clyde & Co, advises on sectoral investments across the Middle East and recently undertook a detailed look at the potential Iran offers to companies across the business spectrum. “What Iranian businesses are looking for, and it will be a requirement to any procurement proposal, is to show that you are bringing the very latest know-how and technology to the country. They are not interested in something from 10 years ago,” he says.
