WA Timber Industry

Thursday, 6 December 2007

It was a third exceptional day on our way to Sydney. Today we were in southern WA, on the road from Margaret River to Bunbury. We went through Augusta, Penberton, Nannup and Bunsbury.

More than a fantastic way of discoverings, I had today very interesting potential business contacts, within a company located in Nannup. This company manufactures lumber for roofing, flooring and decking as well for private houses as commercial or social buildings. I first had a discussion with the thechnical manager. He proposed me very kindly the visit of the factory. 600.000 lumber m3 are manufactured every month in the branch. The company is part of a big group, whose presence is everywhere in Australia. They’re very present on export programs to Asia, North America and a little bit in Europe. Then I had a meeting with their sales manager, whom I explained what I can propose them, as a consulting service to develop their business in Europe. He told me about the weak costs of transport they currently have with Europe. He also told me about their niche strategy, which I answered him being totally corresponding to any start of expansion on the very various french market.

The best was to come. This sales manager is in close contacts with the Australian Trade Commission. As part of the australian federal government, this commission gives assistance to companies in their export strategies. They’ve recently proposed a certain number of companies to take part in a business programm, in the aim of developing business in Middle-East and Russia, on the construction sector. Great !

It’s typically a fantastic contact for me. The services I can propose to these companies become fully profitable if they’re resulting from a deep analysis, and a very long relationship work with potential customers. Instead of proposing the same small service to different companies, it’s more interesting for everyone to get to a global consulting supply, with a global market analysis, and why not the reception of a delegation of companies in France. This global approach reduces thus the prices for the manufacturers, as they’re making it collectively, and represents for me a more interesting intellectual and business work, at the same cost. Global doesn’t mean massive. After that it’s anyway interesting to personalize the service by organizing meetings with potential partners that strictly correspond to the business profile of the manufacturer.

Things have been explained and it’s a really good contact for me.What I suggest is thus to keep contact with this company (sending an e-mail to the sales manager explaining what we can do for them in terms of business development in France), and at the same time to enter in contact with the Australian Trade Commission, in order to present the project and try to develop relationships with them.

Mandurah sustainable houses

Wednesday, 5 December 2007

Things are going well.We had a contact yesterday with the australian government, through its representants in Perth. Thanks to this contact I have now the name and details of the persons to deal with as well in terms of foreign trade as sustainable housing in Western Australia. During a short meeting in the offices of WA Government on St George's Terrae, I had the opportunity of presenting the objectives of my mission in Europe. What I suggest is to present properly projects and objectives to these different ministers. Situation of the construction market in France, opportunities for australian manufacturers, business sectors to develop. Then I would propose to analyse the current relationships between the australian and european building industries, and benefit from these current relationships to develop business contacts.

On the road to Margaret River, in the south of Perth, I had the opportunity to visit a pilot area of sustainable houses (lotissement pilote), in Mandurah. They’ve built there an extraordinary business platform, with renewable-energy sustainable houses. This area is a perfect vitrin of what Australian builders are currently developing. On this basis, I would suggest to contact Mandurah authorities, and get a contact with the company that built these houses. You can have a look on the pics below.

A bientôt

Pierre-Loïc

Perth

Tuesday, 4 December 2007

Perth looks like a cousin of Vancouver in British Columbia. With the proximity of the sea, the modern buildings and the very large roads, we feel like being in Western Canada. This comparison goes to the way of building houses, which is quite similar. As previewed before the departure, this market is a good target for Canadian manufacturers. And if they build such kinds of houses, they can probably propose such products to the european market. To be continued..

Thanks to our friend David Blenkinsop, formally director of Perth festival, we have a contact with the economic reperesentant at the alliance francaise of Perth, to present the project and exchange points of views on construction in Europe and Australia. That is contact to follow up.