Partnering with another company is one of the most effective ways to expand your customer base. Besides gaining free advertising in several new demographics, strategic partnerships also allow you to provide more value to your existing customers. These collaborations are just as beneficial for businesses of all sizes, provided each partner knows how to build, cultivate and make the most of the partnership. But it’s essential to find the right fit. Once you've found your partner, you can work together to build something that will benefit you both for years to come.
A global partner should be a natural extension of your business development and sales team, and allow you to reach markets you couldn’t explore or conquer on your own.
Most startups and smaller companies can find it hard to sell their products or services in foreign markets unless they have a local partner. But even mid-size companies often start their international expansion by partnering with local representatives before eventually hiring their own in-market team. The key factor in successful market expansion is often product localization and a solid market entry strategy.
Best practices for conducting business with partners include:
With our partners at MaRS, we’ve co-created useful resources to help you learn how to establish international partnerships for global expansion, including this article in our MaRS x EDC’s International Growth Collection.
"South Korea’s business environment isn’t without its challenges. “South Korea’s consumer market is extremely dynamic. They’re setting regional and global trends right now,” notes Joy Rankothge, Export Development Canada’s chief representative for South Korea. “To be successful, Canadian companies will need to adapt to the fast-paced changes and scale up to meet the demands of the local market.”
Some of the biggest barriers in South Korea for Canadian businesses include:
Given these complications, engaging a local partner who speaks Korean and understands local traditions, norms and processes can help Canadian businesses break into the market.
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"Electrification is a big part of the ECT story, with Canadian exports of clean electricity and electricity from renewable sources at nearly $2 billion in 2020. Most of these exports are derived from renewable sources, and along with lowcarbon (i.e., nuclear) sources, are expected to increase in the coming years.
As globalization makes inroads in Brazil, a major gap in infrastructure has been exposed. Now, looking to create and modernize railways, power utilities, telecommunications, water and natural gas infrastructure, as well as schools, health care and national parks, Brazil is undergoing widespread privatization. To do so, it’s investing in programs aimed at giving concessions to private companies and privatizing assets that can be best managed by private sector interests through improved efficiencies.
Another growth area for Canadian exporters is agri-business. Although Brazil is a world leader in agricultural production—it boasts one of the most modern agri-businesses in the world—it lacks the infrastructure to move goods.
Brazil has a noteworthy pharmaceutical industry with a global reputation for vaccine production and research. The Brazilian Ministry of Economy registered 418 pharma-manufacturing plants in 2018; in 2020, the pharma industry was valued at $26 billion.
Despite that success, the private health sector, which services 40 million people or 25% of the country’s population, is a growth area for foreign investment and services.
The health-care sector is going through consolidation and enhancement of efficiencies—it’s a sector looking for solutions. Key areas for Canadian companies are services, infrastructure and digital transformation.
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With its vast economy, India offers opportunities across a wide range of industries. Sectors, in which Canada has a comparative advantage for exports, include:
As with many large, populous nations, there’s no single “Indian market.” India’s regions are diverse, and each regional market has millions of consumers. This fact is good news for medium-sized Canadian businesses. With good market research and an effective export strategy, it’s possible to find plenty of customers for your products and services, which can simplify market entry.
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Hong Kong is one of the world’s most important international financial centres. In 2022, the financial services industry was the top driver of its gross domestic product (GDP), followed by the trading and logistics industry.
The following resources will help you get information and trade data about the Canada-Hong Kong trade relationship:
Trade Data Online
**The Canada-China Business Council (CCBC) **
Trade Commissioner Service (TCS)
Federal Economic Development (FedDev) Ontario
Another option to obtain market intelligence is to work with a consultant who can help you conduct market research for your specific products.
Germany is Canada’s largest export market in the European Union (EU) and our sixth-largest trading partner globally. Key export sectors for Canada include aerospace, advanced manufacturing, automotive products, life sciences, information and communications technologies, and agri-food.
The German market is also open to entrepreneurial investment in practically all areas, with good opportunities in several sectors:
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"According to EDC economist, Daniel Benatuil with the Economic and Political Intelligence Centre, Peru offers export and investment opportunities across a range of sectors, including mining, infrastructure, renewable energy, agriculture and technology and financial technology. Sustainable development is also increasingly a focus, including climate-related investing.
Mining is one of the key Peruvian industrial sectors since Latin America is the largest producer of gold and lead, and the world’s second-largest source of copper, silver and zinc. Reflecting this is the size of the mining pipeline, which is composed of 46 projects worth US$56 billion. On the infrastructure and energy side, the government has established a 2021–2022 pipeline with 20 projects across various sectors, worth more than US$6 billion in all.
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"First off, it’s important to remember that while EVs represent a new segment of the auto sector market, the majority of the changes are associated with the powertrain and chassis development. Many other features of the vehicle, including the sheet metal, seating, and instrument panels, aren’t dependent on the powertrain. If you’re a supplier of these “traditional” components, the opportunities remain unchanged as the auto industry transitions to EVs.
For companies that supply traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) components, suppliers should look for component/sub-system solutions that leverage existing manufacturing/technology strengths. For example, work in thermal management for ICE systems can be leveraged to help develop similar systems for EVs. New and innovative offerings are typically well received by companies in the EV sector.
One area where there’s a risk of over-supply or commoditization (products are essentially identical to those of a rival company) is in the design and manufacturing of battery trays or enclosures. Many companies seeking a new product idea have been heavily investing in this space. While there are opportunities with the advent of new advanced materials, structural incorporation, and the like, there are risks that competition could potentially drive down prices.
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"Turkey needs to rapidly adapt to the global trends driving change in key sectors. For instance, the Turkish automotive industry hasn’t fully adapted to the transformation towards electrical vehicles (EVs). Currently, Turkey has the fourth-largest automotive industry in Europe, primarily supporting original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for the European markets. But it hasn’t yet made the necessary investments to modernize its infrastructure to meet the growing demands for EVs.
The government has outlined initiatives to facilitate a more competitive manufacturing base, especially to support investments in R&D, digital transformation and Industry 4.0—the latest evolution in manufacturing technologies and processes that’s also called the fourth industrial revolution.
Over the next decade, Turkey plans to invest approximately US$1 billion to US$1.5 billion annually to make the country a global production and technology centre for innovation and digital transformation.
With these commitments and funding in place, major procurement opportunities are emerging. There’s increasing demand for technologies such as automation platforms, sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, big data and cloud services, cybersecurity, Internet of Things (LoT), product simulation and modelling. Canadian companies can take advantage by taking a focused and proactive approach to the Turkish market.
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"Here are some key export sectors for Canadian companies looking to expand into Indonesia:
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