Senior management meeting “International Trade Outlook 2015 according to experts”

Internationalization as a growth tool

The Secretary of State for Trade at the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness states that Spanish companies must adequately size themselves and gain financial strength to face a genuine internationalization process.

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A senior management meeting was recently held, organized by Cajamar-Caja Rural, ESIC and ICEX during which the future prospects of International Trade in Spain, through the participation of important institutional and business representatives.

 

 

 

Jaime García LegazThe Secretary of State for Trade at the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness stated that one of the main challenges facing Spanish companies is internationalization.

 

Jaime García Legaz, secretary of State of Trade of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, stated that “despite the Spain I had never experienced more than 4 consecutive years of surplus in its balance of payments and that the number of companies The percentage of regularly exported goods grows by 10% annually during this period. Spanish companies They cannot relax and must face a real challenge internationalization process "So far we've only gone halfway."

 

The Secretary of State expressed hope regarding the data showing that between 2007 and 2013 the number of exporting companies In Spain, the number has risen from 99.000 to 152.000, but he pointed out that “to meet the challenge of the Capabilities Spanish companies need to scale appropriately and gain financial strength.”

 

And he put a fact on the table “in Germany, Large companies represent 3% of the business fabric, while in Spain they barely reach 0,5%. In our country, 94% of our companies are micro-SMEsAnd he concluded, “If we want to have a per capita income like the Nordic countries, Spanish companies must operate in the most dynamic markets.”

 

For his part, the president of BLuis Rodríguez, Cooperative Credit Bank-Cajamar GroupHe assured that “our Group is firmly committed to continuing to move forward in the Capabilities of our business fabric.” And he pointed out that proof of this is “that our financing operations to boost to foreign trade They help more than 2.200 companies and legal entities and already exceed 1.100 billion euros, almost five times more than in 2010. And in the last five years our volume of international collections and payments management has increased by 55%, already exceeding 6.600 billion euros annually and more than 800.000 operations managed per year.”

 

Finally, he stated that “expanding internationally is not a fad, nor just another option. Rather, it responds to a strategic need for companies, whatever their size or production specialization, allowing them to guarantee their growth, reduce costs, and better leverage economies of scale.”

 

 

 

For Luis Rodríguez, president of Banco de Crédito Cooperativo-Grupo Cajamar, international expansion is a strategic necessity for companies because it allows them to guarantee their growth.

 

 

 

For its part, Alfonso Jimenez, President of Cascajares, a company based in Valladolid The company, founded 10 years ago and currently selling 50% of its production abroad, explained that “money can be obtained, but acquiring talent is much more complicated.” For Jiménez, the most important thing is for Spanish companies to gain competitiveness abroad and invest in innovation.

 

Francisco Borras, deputy director general of ANECOOPHe pointed out that “the fruit and vegetable sector is experiencing these years of crisis more as a problem of production prices than of marketed volumes. This has implied an adjustment in the production base but has maintained the level of employment, and has even experienced a safe-haven effect in some areas. Internationalization"We are experiencing two global situations that affect us in opposite ways: the Russian veto on our products and the economic situation in the region are negative, while the current performance of the Euro against other currencies is positive."

 

"ICEX - Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade "It is committed to diversifying markets and setting different strategies for mature and emerging markets, depending also on the profile of the companies and their products," he stressed. Alicia Montalvo, general director of ICEX Institutional Cooperation.

 

In this regard, he pointed out that while the European Union It remains the destination for two-thirds of our exports; there are other mature markets, such as U.S.where there is ample room for growth for Spanish companies and where specific actions are needed. He also highlighted “the significant demand from Spanish companies for personalized services in the markets of Asia y Africawhich already represent 50% of those offered by ICEX through its Economic and Commercial Offices abroad.”

 

To Marcos Ruvira, director of International Accounts of Campofrío Food Group “Historically, our company has exported its image of quality and its business model to other countries: this is why Campofrío is a brand with a global presence and recognition. Foreign markets represent a key source of growth for us. Spanish food products enjoy a high reputation for quality abroad. Spain And Campofrio, with its brands, contributes to this recognition.”

 

 

In his speech, José Ramón García, CEO of Blusens, a Spanish multinational founded in 2002 in Santiago de Compostela Specializing in cutting-edge consumer electronics, she emphasized that “as an entrepreneur, you don't need to be big to go international. You can grow significantly abroad with little investment but a lot of entrepreneurial enthusiasm. We have suffered a lot in Spain, but the world is full of opportunities.” And she concluded, “the foreign companies Those who arrive earlier in emerging countries do so because they enjoy institutional support.”

 

Francisco Calvo, deputy director of Finances of Banco de Crédito Cooperativo-Grupo CajamarIn his speech, he pointed out that "we try to support SMEs in their birth and development, and they must learn, among other issues related to their foreign business, to manage the international geopolitical movements that are taking place."