KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian entrepreneurs should not give up easily and perseverance should be part of their make up if they intend to pursue long lasting trade with Japanese enterpreneurs.
There is a need for them to also understand the Japanese market and be ready to adapt strategies to better fit in order to attract their future trading partners from the Land of the Rising Sun.
At the same time, Malaysian suppliers interested in penetrating Japan’s market should ensure the quality of their products and see that they are either at par or better than products produced in Europe or the United States.
Malaysian Ambassador to Japan, Datuk Shaharuddin Md Som said Malaysian businessmen should also participate in trade exhibitions in Japan to expose their capabilities to their Japanese counterparts.
“Without participating in expositions or exhibitions in Japan, Japanese entrepreneurs will never know of our capabilities,” he told Bernama at the Malaysian Automotive Industries Exposition (MAIE) held in Yokohama recently.
The exhibition, organised by the Japan External Trade Organisation (Jetro), was held concurrently with the Automotive Engineering Exposition (AEE).
On pointers to win over the Japanese market, Shaharuddin said that every process would have to undergo challenges and that it would take time to make it a reality.
“However, we have agencies such as the Malaysia Investment Development Authority, and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation which can offer valuable assistance and consultation on business potential and opportunities in Japan,” he added.
A senior Jetro official meanwhile said Malaysian companies should understand the Japanese market and be ready to adjust in their quest for a successful breakthrough
Mio Kawada, the director in charge of international trade fairs in Japan at the Jetro Trade Fair Department, said many companies that had participated in exhibitions in Japan had gained a better understanding of the Japanese market
With the understanding, some of these companies even changed their business strategies to better fit into the Japanese market, leading to a successful breakthrough, she said
Companies that succeeded in entering the Japanese market had established contacts and provided samples as well as received visits from their Japanese partners before arriving at actual contracts, she pointed out
Kawada also advised Malaysian companies to actively communicate with visitors at their booths
“Japanese visitors are used to being received in a proactive manner and tend not to enter booths that are passive,” she said
Mohd Reduan Abdul Rahim, president and chief executive officer of Masasinar Holdings Sdn Bhd, said unlike many automotive companies at MAIE planning to penetrate the Japanese market for their products, his company was looking at Japanese operations in other countries
He said his company, which produces stamping parts, was aiming to supply components to Japanese automotive operations in Thailand and Indonesia
“We want to show what we can offer in Malaysia,” he said, adding that Masasinar would stand out as it was an efficient cost effective producer against the backdrop of rising spare part components cost in Japan
Mohd Reduan also said Japanese companies that preferred their own suppliers should also have a change in their mindsets
“Japan should be more open now and share their technology (with other countries),” he said, adding that Masasinar recently acquired the TS16949 and ISO9001 Quality Management System (QMS) which qualified the company to export overseas
In the final analysis, it is worth being a supplier to Japanese manufacturers as Japanese companies are known to be loyal customers once they are satisfied with their vendors and there are no disappointments. — Bernama