Australian export case study Bob Cartwright knows first-hand the joys and the frustrations of doing business in the Middle East.
Before setting up his own company he worked for an automotive component manufacturing company owned by a major Japanese corporation. It was during a trade mission with the company to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that he saw for himself how unpredictable international business can be.
“We had gone to Riyadh to secure a major distributor,” Mr Cartwright said. “But after two days of intense talking with major distributors we were totally confused – we found that we had five different companies which wanted to purchase our products.”
Fast-forward a few years and Bob Cartwright could see a niche in the market, so he established his own company – Automotive Parts Australia – to export Australian manufactured automotive parts to the Middle East.
Mr Cartwright said that his first year in business in 2005 could be termed a learning experience, but by the following year turnover had increased to seven figures.
He acknowledges the vital role the Australian Trade Commission – Austrade – has had in his company’s success.
“Austrade spent considerable time and effort investigating several potential trading relationship companies for us and set up meetings with key executives,” he said.
For the past few years, Automotive Parts Australia has travelled with the AAAA (Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association) to take part in the Middle East Automechanika exhibition in Dubai - a trade show which attracts 20,000 visitors over three days, and includes 1500 exhibitors from 40 different countries.
“At Automotive Parts Australia, we believe that we have a major advantage because Austrade is on the ground in Dubai willing to give us time, advice and expertise before, during and after the trade show”.
Bob Cartwright added that since 2007, Automotive Parts Australia has taken on new distributors in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, providing a valuable boost in turnover.
For Mr Cartwright and his wife and business partner, the reward is in the work itself. “We are doing a job that we love and travelling to visit our customers every six months”. |