IRELAND\\\ The world is Ireland’s oyster


FBJ editor Chris Lewis talks to Irish-based international trade expert, Aidan Conaty.


Q. Has Brexit prompted fi rms to look beyond the UK and other traditional markets at opportunities further afi eld? A. Yes it has forced Irish fi rms


to look beyond the UK. The government of Ireland were very quick to start assisting Irish fi rms to look into new markets as soon as the ‘leave’ result came through in 2016. The long-drawn-out withdrawal


agreement was, in my opinion, seen by many Irish fi rms as a wake-up call to try and quickly develop more markets for their products outside of the UK. Many company owners told me that they needed to deleverage the risk of a hard Brexit by having new markets for their products in the event that they were to lose their markets in the UK. I would go so far as to say that, aſt er 2016, many wrote the UK off and started to look elsewhere to export their products. I have been working with oyster


producers in Ireland who realised that they would not be able to depend on their London business as a key export destination for their products. I have been assisting them to develop and grow sales of their products into China. In 2019, I brought over a group of Chinese oyster buyers to visit them and since then they have been successfully selling to them in China. Another avenue though which


a lot of fi rms are developing export is e-commerce. There are many platforms across the world which fi rms can use to develop sales, but for China, the platforms which many companies can use to develop export sales is Tmall and JD.com. The Irish government is actively assisting its fi rms to explore this


avenue and they are giving out grants for Irish companies to upgrade their platforms or use for online marketing into new countries. The freight industry needs to


evolve and develop its business model to go from chasing freight business to creating freight business. It can achieve this by off ering solutions to customers that assists them to develop and grow their business. I have been championing this cause for a few years. Jenkinson Logistics in Ireland is a fi rm that has embraced this philosophy hence that is the reason why I ended up bringing Chinese oyster buyers to Ireland. John Good Shipping in the UK is another example.


Q. What sorts of goods do Irish companies export and are there any changes happening? A. Unlike the UK, Ireland did


not have a traditional heavy industry manufacturing base so it has not been traumatised by the migration of these industries to low cost producers in Asia and other parts of the world. Instead Ireland has focused


on some core sectors to develop


its export business


– pharmaceuticals, medical devices, information technology and food and drink. The pharma and medical


devices sector has developed in Ireland because of the infl ux of


foreign direct investment,


particularly from the US. As these industries took hold in Ireland, spin-off companies emerged who are developing new products for the industry. This is leading to positive momentum for Irish companies to become leading export players in these fi elds. In relation to IT, at the moment


Aidan Conaty is the founder of supply chain consultancy, TCI China and Goodada.com, which carries out quality control in 75 countries, product sourcing and also works with freight forwarders to develop their business. He has spent over 15 years assisting companies to trade internationally. TCI China provides trade support services for China.


there appears to be few spin off s


arising from these fi rms’


involvement in Ireland. Ireland has grown as a food


producer and exporter and the world is recognising this. Global Irish food fi rms continue to develop, adapt and grow into new markets.


Artisan Irish food and drink


producers are small businesses who not only make an excellent product but also bring a fantastic passion. I am seeing these award winning companies such as Hugh Maguire’s Smoked Black Pudding, Philip Martins premium Mexican Food Blanco Nino or the oyster


Issue 1 2021 - FBJ Ireland growing family businesses in


Carlingford Lough successfully developing new markets for their products. Then there are Chinese food


fi rms setting up production facilities in Ireland. Having been involved in China since 2004, I have witnessed a massive growth of the middle class in China. In 2004 only 4% of the population in China, was so classifi ed ; in 2012 it skyrocketed to 68%. It is forecast that by 2022 it will reach 75%. They are looking for high quality, safe foods to consume and they are willing to pay a premium price for such products. I have been involved in several


projects assisting Irish food producer fi rms establish


joint


ventures with Chinese investors to set up or scale up food production plants in Ireland. These investors want to take all the output from these plants and ship it back to China and Asia. A good example of my point is Newbaze Ireland Nutrition Food Company which set up a production facility in


3


Carrickmacross Co Monaghan to serve the Chinese market with baby milk formula. https:// enterprise.gov.ie/en/News-And- Events/Department-News/2019/ November/18112019.html


Q. In your opinion, do enough Irish companies consider exporting? A. It has never been easier for


Irish fi rms to develop exporting markets. Traditionally many Irish companies who exported focused on the UK as it off ered a low cost, low risk, low education market to develop. Many Irish companies self-fi nanced the development of this market. Today, this has changed as Irish government programs assist many Irish fi rms to develop export markets in the European Union and across the world. Each year I am impressed by


the many Irish family businesses exhibiting at trade shows across Europe and Asia. The enthusiasm and can-do attitude of these


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