| |
 |
|
|
If you are experiencing difficulty with this web page or find broken links, please contact our web administrator by clicking
here.
|
|
| | | Publications |  | |
Annual Reports
FY 2002
FY 2003
FY 2004
FY 2005
FY 2006
FY 2007
Special Reports
Benefits of Trade
Calendar of Events
United States Services Economy
Virginia Import Study
Emerging Markets Reports
Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Export Resources
This publications page contains our free e-newsletter Beyond
Virginia issued every other Wednesday and the newsletter
archives. You can also view over 70 FastFacts— export FAQ’s on getting started, export issues,
and various countries and regions. Virginia companies may also access our annual
reports , various
special reports or download our annual calendar of events. Our resources
page provides links to numerous federal,
state and private resources.
FastFacts
A statistical analysis of Virginia
exports JUST UPDATED!
FastFacts are
available for download by clicking this link.
If links or graphics are not displaying properly, click here.
August 20, 2008 Send to a Friend View Archives Click to Print
|
|
UPCOMING EVENTS AND TRADE MISSIONS
View all events here
Trade Mission to Ukraine & Romania
September 22-26, 2008
Trade Mission to Australia & Japan
September 22-26, 2008
60th Virginia Conference on World Trade
October 15-16, 2008
Trade Mission to Canada - Toronto & Montreal
October 27-31, 2008
Poleko Trade Show and Poland Trade Mission
October 27-31, 2008
Trade Mission to Mexico
November 3-7, 2008
Trade Mission to Vietnam
November 3-7, 2008
Trade Mission to Saudi Arabia
November 15-18, 2008
Ask The Experts
Virginia International Trade Managers, provide various services to clients including counseling and market intelligence which helps them to prepare an export plan of action.
Contact your local Trade Manager for your export needs!
Joe Adams, Norfolk
Jenee Andreev, Northern VA
Knox Hubard, Harrisonburg
Michael Howley, Northern VA
Mark Myrick, Richmond
Diane Thomas, Abingdon
Ralph Torning, Lynchburg
JOIN US!
October 15 & 16, 2008
|
SPECIAL FEATURE
Q&A MeadWestvaco
Based in Richmond, Va., MeadWestvaco, Presidential Sponsor of the 60th Virginia Conference on World Trade, is a global leader in packaging and packaging solutions for the cosmetics and personal care, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, home and garden, and media industries. Bruce Thomas, Senior Vice President, Global Market Strategy and Emerging Markets, answered questions about his company’s decision to headquarter in Richmond, booming business in India and the relationship between global growth and the U.S. economy.
Why did MWV decide to locate your headquarters in Virginia?
MWV has had a presence in Virginia for many years. MWV selected Richmond as the location for its corporate headquarters because it best met our needs for several reasons:
- From a business perspective, Richmond and the Commonwealth of Virginia may well offer the best business environment in the United States. Also, we looked very closely at the area’s key attributes: the talented workforce; education system; and the costs of doing business here.
- It allows us to be an active participate in the vibrant and thriving Richmond community
What role did The Port of Virginia play in the decision?
Our large export manufacturing facilities are generally located in the east, we therefore tend to ship out of southeast ports and gulf coast ports. Access to the Port of Virginia is critical to our ensuring our supply chain is efficient and productive.
MWV is a Presidential Sponsor of the 60th Virginia Conference on World Trade, which will focus on trade between Virginia and India. Can you talk about the importance of India’s emerging market to the global economy?
India has all of the characteristics of an important emerging market: it has a large populous – 1.4 billion people; a massive growing middle class with a demand for high end consumer goods; and has a growing but still developing manufacturing base. The opportunities with India are three-fold: to grow in India; to grow from India; and to build a presence in India that supports a global supply chain for our customers. Here are some examples of these opportunities within MWV:
- India is fast becoming the world’s largest source of generic pharmaceuticals, which is a growing market worldwide. However, the supply chain surrounding the delivery of India-manufactured generics to the global marketplace is often inefficient, unreliable and costly. By bringing more secure and more innovative pharma packaging solutions directly to India, there is the opportunity to create a supply chain that safely delivers India-manufactured generics to global consumers at a low competitive cost.
- More than half of India’s population still live on farms and rely on their produce as a way of life. Unfortunately, there is a high volume of wastage in transporting the produce from the field to the store shelf or export dock for many reasons, including poor packaging. At MWV, we are bringing our food packaging solutions, which are designed to protect and preserve fruits and vegetables, to the local Indian market.
Does growth in India have a positive effect on the U.S. economy and businesses in Virginia?
Growth in India and other emerging markets can certainly have a positive effect on the U.S. economy. These markets permit U.S. and Virginia-based businesses to sell their products and services even when U.S. and European economies slow. Global trade and global growth keeps U.S.-based businesses strong.
Can you describe some of the opportunities MWV is excited about in India?
In addition to the examples provided above, we recently announced we’ve partnered with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), a scientific research organization in India, to partner on research projects that address critical areas in packaging for consumer, agricultural and transportation applications.
Also, through our Specialty Chemicals business, we are supplying activated carbon solutions to reduce auto emissions in the fast growing Indian automotive market.
Finally, we are the market leader in high quality pumps and trigger sprayers for the Indian consumer products market.
How would you assess the business relationship between MeadWestvaco and The Port of Virginia?
MWV has a very close business relationship with the Virginia Port Authority. We have been working together for many years and are among the top 5 largest container exporters via The Port of Virginia. Our paperboard mill and Specialty Chemical business in Covington, and our converting facility in Louisa all export products through the port. Our containers are destined for 6 continents, with the top 10 countries of export (in order): China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Belgium, Malaysia, Philippines, Netherlands, South Africa and Australia.
Recently, MWV and the Virginia Port Authority worked together to replace truck shipments from the company’s Covington, Virginia, paper mill to the Port of Virginia with railroad transportation. The effort has enabled MWV to maximize cost, supply chain efficiency and environmental advantages of rail transportation.
In 2006, the Virginia Ports Authority awarded MWV as their shipper of the year.
MWV participates in the Shippers Committee of the Hampton Roads Maritime Association, who has close ties to The Port of Virginia for the interest of shippers within the region.
What are some other emerging markets important to MeadWestvaco?
Our emerging markets strategy focuses on China, India, Russia/Eastern Europe, Africa, and South and Central America. These are the regions our customers, the world’s leading consumer product goods companies, are most interested in because of the growth opportunities. In these areas, there is a growing middle class with a demand for higher end consumer goods, and a significant discrepancy between sources of supply with sources of manufacturing. It is from these places that MWV can help change or even re-invent our customers’ businesses to take advantage of the unique opportunities available both from and in these fast-growing regions.
TRADE NEWS
GOVERNOR KAINE ANNOUNCES FORBES.COM THREE-PEAT BY VIRGINIA
Governor Timothy M. Kaine announced this month that Virginia continues to lead the nation as Forbes.com’s “Best State for Business.” It is the third consecutive year Virginia has been top ranked. The Commonwealth finished in the top 10 in four of the six categories examined in the review, which was published July 31, 2008.
VEDP AIDS VIRGINIA BEACH COMPANY WITH DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENTS IN UK & AUSTRALIA
Brake-fast LLC, the market leader in anti-bloat dog bowls, has finalized distribution agreements with Rich and Robin – Luxury Pet Essentials in the United Kingdom and Pets First Choice (PFC) in Australia. The supply agreements grant exclusive distribution rights for brake-fast® patented bowls and accessories in the United Kingdom and Australia. Brake-fast believes that the sales generated from this distribution agreement will be significant and represents brake-fast’s continuing initiative to expand its international sales.
For more information about Brake-fast LLC and their products, visit www.brake-fast.net.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Click here to access the Reuters global news feed.
TRADE SPOTLIGHT
VCU's International Business Certificate Program
September 3 - November 26, 2008; Richmond, VA
http://www.bus.vcu.edu/international/IBCP/
Trade Finance Solutions for Exporters and Lenders
September 8-9, 2008; Washington, DC
www.exim.gov/seminars/index.cfm#solutions
Virginia Conference on World Trade
October 15 – 16, 2008; Norfolk, VA
www.vacwt.org.
FEATURED FAST FACT
International Marketing
Successful marketing leads to sales. Your company likely has a domestic marketing plan in place already. Learn about international marketing with our Fast Fact!
FEATURED TIP
Economic Intelligence Unit
Produces analysis and forecasts of political, economic and business environments in over 200 countries and eight key industries.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING
"When we had serious problems with entering data in “AES Direct” for an urgent shipment and could not solve them ourselves, we called VEDP for assistance. By phone, the VEDP walked us through the correct steps in completing the AES form. We are grateful to VEDP for making it possible for us to use AES Direct and therefore avoid a delay in making the shipment, and for teaching us the proper procedures."
Sales Manager
Industrial Equipment Industry
|
  |
|
|
|
|
|
Director of International Trade:
Paul H. Grossman, Jr.
Email: PGrossman@YesVirginia.org
PO Box 798 / 901 East Byrd Street
Richmond, Virginia 23218-0798 USA
Phone: (804) 545-5752
Fax: (804) 545-5751
|
Send comments or feedback to the editor at: TNoll@yesvirginia.org |
 |
|
|
|
