Profile of Company T

【Business】Manufacturing industry

【Capital】50 million yen

【Number of employees】100

【Established】1928

Inquiries and issues

We want to know the needs of our products internationally.

Paccloa’s Proposals and Support

Formulation of international business plan

Conducted F/S survey on the West Coast of the U.S.

Support for international exhibition tours and product hearings

Guidance on how to make presentations to international companies

Outcome

Identification of local product needs

Partitioning into new product development instead of product improvement

Reaffirming the importance of long-term business planning

Clarification of barriers to international business and identification of necessary internal systems and actions

Testimonial from the President

Q1 What was the status of your company’s international expansion at the beginning?

We had no international exports.

We participated in exhibitions in Japan sponsored by public organizations, had business meetings with overseas buyers, and participated in cross-border e-commerce (Amazon.com), but we were unable to achieve much success.

Q2 Did the advice you received from Paccloa have a positive impact on your international expansion?

We were able to acquire real needs by visiting the local market for the first time in the form of a feasibility study and creating opportunities for various interviews.

We were able to formulate concrete measures, such as where products should be localized and sales channels.

I think we were able to achieve this because of the high level of preparation that Ms. Ogawa’s advice provided us with for the purpose of our visit to the region.

Q3 What did you think of the sometimes harsh advice?

The following specific advice was helpful during the preparation stage.

I learned the importance of how to communicate to foreigners, such as presentation materials.

I understood that Japanese people are a high context culture that reads the air, and how much I need to explain in a simple way to Americans, who are low context people.

It was also helpful that Ms. Ogawa introduced me to an interpreter and a patent firm through her personal connections, which I was able to utilize effectively.

I am still using the patent firm to this day.

Q4 Have you consulted with any other experts or consultants regarding international expansion?

I often went to seminars, etc., but although they may help you gain some knowledge, I think that if you start from scratch, it is almost impossible to take action.

I think it is necessary to receive specific advice on goals, tasks, deadlines, etc., and to ensure that preparations are carried out.

Q5 What, if anything, has made a lasting impression on you?

The first thing that left an impression on me was when I was first told that in order to succeed in international expansion, we would have to review our domestic management strategy as well.

I realized once again that there are many aspects of my company’s strategy that are unclear when considering international expansion, such as its strengths, the importance of intellectual property rights, and the concept of marketing.

I was also impressed by the advice he gave us based on his actual consulting experience.

As well as practical things,

I was impressed to hear stories of the struggles of those in charge of starting international expansion and how they overcame those struggles,

It was encouraging to know that my colleagues who are taking on this challenge are working toward the same goal with the same passion.