Major industries which are prominent in Poland include:
Automobile Parts and Components
Defense
Computer Services
Computer Software
Computers and Peripherals
Construction Materials and Equipment
Water and Wastewater Treatment Equipment
Plastic Processing
Travel and Tourism Services
Cosmetics
To further boost confidence in the market opportunities in Poland, this country was rated fifth in A.T. Kearney's year-end 2005 Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index.® This FDI rating points to overall investor confidence in a particular region. Additionally, it was ranked second in FDI confidence in Europe. Poland's GDP is looking promising as well. In 2005, it lead Europe in growth, and its projected trend anticipates continued growth:
As with the Czech Republic, a visa is not required for stays of less than 90 days. When not in negotiations with potential partners and
key decision makers in Poland, as in the Czech Republic, you will find yourself surrounded by centuries of history and breathtaking
culture. Perhaps you might want to take a side trip to the Wieliczka salt mines or tour the countless museums and cathedrals.
Experience old world charm at its finest.
To make your time in the Czech Republic and Poland pursuing business opportunities more successful, consider joining us on our trade
mission to these countries. Jenée Andreev, International Trade Manager with the Division of International Trade, will be leading the
trade mission to the Czech Republic and Poland June 11th - 15th. We will arrange meetings for your company with key decision makers in
your industry based on information provided by you. If you don't speak the language, or they don't, not a problem-we'll even arrange
for interpreters. For more information, contact Jenée by phone at (703) 506-1031 or via e-mail at JAndreev@yesvirginia.org. Don't miss
out on this great opportunity to see wonderful sights, taste great food and most important of all, expand your business opportunities!
The best way to navigate the barcode scene is to contact an industry trade group such as the Association for Automatic Identification
and Mobility (www.aimglobal.org). AIM is a global trade association comprising providers of components, networks, systems, and services
that manage the collection and integration of data with information management systems. GS1 (www.gs1uk.org) is a global organization
dedicated to global standards and solutions to improve the efficiency of supply and demand chains. GS1 publishes a widely-used system
of supply chain standards. Both of these organizations can be good starting places for learning about barcoding standards that are
applicable to your market. These organizations can also assist in locating vendors, integrators, and consultants to assist you.
The barcode industry offers a plethora of choices for hardware and software products. One of the largest vendors of barcode readers is
Symbol Technologies, a division of Motorola (www.symbol.com). Symbol offers all types of handheld and fixed-mount barcode readers. Other
vendors include PSC, Metrologic, Intermec, and Opticon.
One product that warrants attention is the Visidot system from ImageID Ltd. (www.visidot.com). Using Data Matrix barcodes printed on
existing shipping labels, Visidot Readers can scan all outward-facing labels on a pallet in a single scan. Visidot Readers provide
automated, rapid, highly-accurate scanning. This system can improve inbound and outbound shipment accuracy, automatically update
inventory levels, and generate palette manifests automatically.
Another product to consider is the Ovee from National Labtools (www.NationalLabtools.com).
The Ovee is a desktop barcode scanner and wireless barcode lookup station rolled into one.
It is designed to allow barcode users to quickly and easily verify the contents of barcoded items, and to automatically update their
status and location simply by scanning them. The Ovee is designed to be simple to use and inexpensive to install and maintain, requiring
no software programming to interface with existing database systems.
There are numerous systems integrators who develop custom applications and perform installation and training. Barcoding Inc.
(www.barcoding.com) is one of the larger integrators. Labeling products are offered by Brady Inc., Zebra, and many others, and range from simple desktop units to high-volume production systems. Barcodes can also be etched
using lasers, producing a indelible and long lasting label, depending on the material type. This type of system is available from
Keyence (www.keyence.com), Kern (www.kernlasers.com), and
Markem (www.markem.com), among others.
Let's quickly look at a specific case where a barcoding system was introduced into an existing production environment. Indoor
Biotechnologies Inc. (IB, www.inbio.com) is a biotechnology company based in Charlottesville
specializing in manufacturing innovative products for investigating environmental and immunologic aspects of asthma and allergic
diseases. The company's technology includes a comprehensive set of laboratory products for the detection of house dust mite, cat, dog,
cockroach and fungal allergens. IB ships these products world-wide. IB also performs contract analysis of dust samples received from
customers to determine the presence of environmental allergens. IB has traditionally relied on a manual system of tracking raw materials,
production inventory, and contract analysis samples using Microsoft Excel and Access databases. This system has worked well, but the
growth of the business was placing strains on the manual approach. For example, production inventory is maintained both in the
Charlottesville headquarters and in the UK sales office, with each site tracking their local inventory. A unified approach to
maintaining the production inventory was needed. There was also the need to link raw materials to each production run, for quality
control purposes. IB also wanted to improve the traceability of contract analysis samples, and to have a way to track which step of the
analysis each sample was in.
The founder and president of IB, Dr. Martin Chapman, says "We needed a tracking system but were hesitant to make a drastic change to our processes. We couldn't interrupt our business. As a small but growing business, we need to constantly look for ways to be more efficient while maintaining quality." Instead, IB purchased four Ovees from National Labtools and placed them throughout their labs. A Zebra barcode printer was installed in a central location, and was configured to print Data Matrix barcodes for application on all samples and products. The Ovees were configured to access a central sample database on IB's existing server. For process tracking and inventory management, special barcode cards were created that can be scanned in conjunction with a sample to indicate to whom a sample is being assigned or shipped. Amy Tsay, IB's Director of Product Development says "The Ovees have become a regular part of our process. We're already tracking several thousand samples - as we increase in volume and range, we'll be able to monitor our inventory and maintain quality."
So far, we've been talking about the most obvious method of automatic identification. But the other big technology is RFID - Radio Frequency Identification. You've probably heard about how RFID tags are starting to transform the supply chain for big retailers like Wal-Mart. In a future article, we'll look at RFID and talk about the pros and cons of both barcoding and RFID.
The world of barcoding is obviously much larger than we can address in this article, but perhaps you've now got a better handle on the issues, and know better where to get more information on your specific market application.
About the author:
Sean Graves, PhD is a computer scientist, inventor, and author. He holds four patents pertaining to sample storage and tracking, and is currently the founder and president of National Labtools. He lives in Charlottesville.
What I Wish I Knew About Exporting Before I Got Started(working title)
Your wit and wisdom are wanted to be included in our upcoming book project. The Division of International Trade is currently working on
a special export handbook, geared at helping those who are currently exporting, or those who are just getting started. Do you have three
tips to help others dealing with:
Identifying your market
Determining what barriers to trade are in this market
Getting your product ready to hit a new foreign market-don't forget foreign standards
Finding a reputable distributor-it can be done
Contract negotiations with your new found distributor
Customs issues-what could you have done differently-had you only known?
Getting paid for your products-it's not an export until you get paid
Cultural issues-what you wish you knew before you did what you did
Any other relevant
To have your helpful hints and words of advice included in our upcoming book, contact Terri Noll, Client Services Coordinator at
(804) 545-5764 or via e-mail at tnoll@yesvirginia.org.
Certificate Program- Virginia Conference on World Trade
Are there export related issues that your company faces and needs help in that area? We are currently in the process of
developing the curriculum for the Certificate Program portion of the Virginia Conference on World Trade and would like your
input regarding the matters that most affect your company regarding your export operations. Send your comments to Hank Selby
at Hank.Selby@alcoa.com for consideration.
U.S. exports to Poland were valued at $1.96 billion in 2006 which is 55% higher than 2005 and
more than double 2004 exports. To learn more about Poland read our FastFacts.
In 2005 the Czech Republic was one of the largest destinations for U.S. and Virginia
exports to Eastern Europe. To learn more about Czech Republic read our FastFacts.
Financing Private and Public Sector Infrastructure Projects
April 19-20, 2007; Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, D.C.
The seminar will cover public and private sector infrastructure projects that are currently being prepared or in execution in the fields of energy, water and sanitation, transportation, urban development and housing, in all its borrowing member countries. The event will place particular focus on the IDB's activities in the sustainable energy sector, including carbon finance, biofuel projects and energy conservation in construction. For more information, please visit:
http://www.iadb.org/biz/
HazMat Transport 101 - General Cargo Handling Procedures
April 24, 2007; Virginia Beach, VA
This is a two-day (16 hour) course on the regulations of the United States Department of Transportation regarding the safe and legal transportation of materials designated as hazardous. For more information, please visit:
http://artemus.us/?q=node/35
Trade Financing Solutions for Exporters and Lenders
May 7-8, 2007; Washington, D.C.
This seminar helps exporters and lenders learn about trade services they can offer their customers and raise
profits. For more information, please visit:
http://www.exim.gov/news/seminars/index.cfm
Richmond Export-Import Club's Annual World Trade Day
May 23, 2007; Renaissance Conference Center, Richmond, VA
Come hear Dr. John Snow, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury (2003-2006), Retired Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer - CSX Corporation speak on the importance of globalization and global business in our time and for our
community. For more information, please visit:
http://www.richmondexportimportclub.com/2007WTD.rtf
So you're planning a trip to the Czech Republic? Though English is widely spoken and the American tourist need not worry about being understood (unless one finds his or her way to some back road in Jablunkov…) being able to say a few handy phrases like "Na shledanou" ("nashled" for short, meaning "goodbye") and "Dekuji" ("D-K" for short, meaning "thanks") are polite and would be appreciated for making the effort. Visit this website to learn more handy phrases for your travels throughout Old Town Prague.
Just about three years ago, I found myself having lunch with the then Deputy Director of Czech Trade. We were discussing the growth potential for companies, both in the United States as well as the Czech Republic. His thoughts were that in a few short years, the time would be ripe to see tremendous opportunities. As the Czech Republic had just been admitted to the European Union just a few months earlier, his predictions for a bright future were correct. Those few short years have now come to pass and the time has never been better to look to the Czech Republic as a potential new market.
There comes a time for most manufacturers and distributors when production inventory and finished goods can no longer be tracked manually. This happens when a small business grows into a medium-sized business, sales volumes increase, or new markets require a higher level of traceability. Believe it or not, many businesses still track their inventory levels manually (you know who you are) using Excel spreadsheets and manual 'headcounts'. This can cause costly production delays (when raw materials are not available when they're needed), shipping errors, quality control problems, and general Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) malaise. Fortunately, there is a whole world of solutions out there in the Automatic Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) market. AIDC includes, among other things, barcode readers and the software that connects them to databases or ERP systems. In this article, we'll look at the basics of barcoding and how barcoding is implemented in a business environment.
