Video communications could boost number of UK manufacturer's entering new markets.

According to BIS, (Department for Business Innovation & Skills) manufacturing is currently the third largest sector in the UK economy and as public sector cuts threaten Britain's recovery from the recession, analysts are looking to the private sector to drive Britain’s growth over the next few years….. A recent Hazard Warning Report by Zurich Insurance which surveyed senior managers from the UK manufacturing sector found that a growing number are considering expansion into high growth markets such as Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC). These markets are considered to be the biggest growth opportunity in 2011, according to 47 per cent of UK manufacturers surveyed. However, some 60 per cent felt the risk associated with these untested markets was high, resulting in a willing but cautious approach to market entry. The report suggests that UK companies will look to gain insight into potential risks and challenges associated with each of these high growth markets, and form alliances with other organisations to ease entry into the market. Video communications provide obvious cost reduction benefits to companies in terms of reduced travel and greater collaboration between global colleagues and suppliers. Therefore, video communications could also give UK manufacturers a competitive edge in terms of new market entry. Because of the cautious approach that UK companies will adopt, they will spend more time researching potential new markets and concentrating efforts to find the right partner to become their local presence. UK manufacturers will want to find a partner who has similar values and a commitment to quality and customer service. This in many cases would involve a market visit in conjunction with the UKTI (UK Trade & Investment) team to visit several potential partner’s and meet face-to-face, which could result in a lengthy and expensive trip for senior management. This screening process could easily be done with video conferencing over an IP connection, allowing UK companies to see the people and their facilities and get a truer sense of the business environment. Time and money are saved by doing the “leg work” from home. This process might result in an agreement with a new partner but even if the team still travel out to the new market for final selections, they would have already narrowed the pool to a handful of companies worth visiting, saving valuable time and money. And the benefits of video collaboration go beyond the initial set-up process. After an agreement is made with a new partner in the market, there will then be a training programme required to get the new partner "up and running". They'll need to tap into your experience of how to market, sell and service your products - inevitably involving many of your key team members across different departments. Again, flying your team out to Brazil, Russia, India or China would be expensive and leave your head office stripped of resources and the partner may be reluctant to visit you for the same reasons. Desktop and room-based video conferencing products will allow your team to regularly meet with your new partner face-to-face; product demonstrations, sharing presentations, watching video clips and more can be done using cisco telepresence solutions. Experience for yourself the true value of Cisco TelePresence with a complimentary video meeting! Why not arrange a meeting with a potential partner overseas and discover the collaboration advantages of this revolutionary communications experience?