55819fbf65c746bc84cf128c4cb99fe5

Europe, AI & Industrial Leadership: The Rise of Industrial Copilots and Humanoid Robotics

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:46:24 GMT

Turning industrial data, AI and human expertise into a new competitive advantage

Despite falling behind the United States and China in recent years and facing a significant investment gap in key technology areas, Europe has not given up on the global AI race. At the inaugural “Siemens Tech Minds Erlangen” event, Siemens CEO Roland Busch and Schaeffler CEO Klaus Rosenfeld shared their vision of the future of industry in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Their discussion highlighted a strong conviction: AI is not simply another technology trend—it is a transformative force capable of reshaping the entire industrial value chain.

Europe’s Competitive Advantage: Industrial Data and Domain Expertise

Europe is unlikely to win the race for the next generation of large general-purpose AI models against American and Chinese technology giants. However, Europe possesses a unique advantage: decades of industrial expertise, advanced manufacturing capabilities, digital twins, and an exceptional wealth of industrial data.

European companies can differentiate themselves by developing specialized AI models trained on their own high-quality, industry-specific data—data that is often difficult for competitors to access or replicate. Organizations that successfully convert these assets into operational intelligence have a realistic opportunity to achieve leadership positions in specific industries and applications.

Europe’s AI future will likely be built on specialization and industrial use cases rather than on competing directly in the race for the next universal foundation model.

Industrial Copilots: The Next Productivity Revolution

One of the most promising developments discussed was the emergence of Industrial Copilots .

Tomorrow’s engineers, maintenance technicians, operators, and quality managers will increasingly be supported by AI assistants capable of instantly accessing technical documentation, machine data, operating procedures, and historical records.

The objective goes far beyond automating administrative or repetitive tasks. Industrial Copilots have the potential to democratize expertise, shorten learning curves, improve decision-making, and increase productivity across organizations.

This embedded intelligence could support every stage of the industrial lifecycle—from engineering and design to production, maintenance, logistics, and customer service.

Humanoid Robots: A New Industrial Ecosystem

Humanoid robots are attracting massive global investment and attention.

Beyond their human-like appearance, they represent the convergence of several strategic technologies:

Artificial Intelligence
Computer Vision
Advanced Sensors
Precision Actuators
Autonomous Software Systems
Digital Twins and Simulation

Their technological architecture shares many similarities with autonomous vehicles.

For industrial companies such as Schaeffler, the opportunity is not necessarily to manufacture complete humanoid robots, but to become key suppliers of the critical technologies and components that will enable their large-scale deployment.

The Real Challenge: Building a Continuous Learning Mindset

One of the most powerful messages from the discussion concerned human skills and workforce transformation.

In the AI era, technical expertise alone is no longer enough.

The ability to continuously learn, adapt, experiment, and embrace change is becoming a critical competitive advantage.

Organizations must actively support their workforce in:

�� Viewing AI as an enabler rather than a threat

�� Making continuous learning part of everyday work

�� Encouraging curiosity, agility, and resilience

�� Promoting experimentation and rapid adoption of new technologies

In this environment, a growth mindset may become just as important as technical expertise itself.

AI Must Transform the Entire Value Chain

The greatest value of Artificial Intelligence does not lie in isolated applications.

Its real impact emerges when it is deployed across the entire industrial ecosystem:

Research & Development
Product Design
Materials Science
Manufacturing
Maintenance
Supply Chain & Logistics
Customer Support
Infrastructure Management

Tomorrow’s industrial intelligence will be integrated end-to-end, connecting strategy, engineering, operations, and services.

AI and Employees: Towards the Augmented Workforce

Artificial Intelligence will make people more productive—but not obsolete.

Routine tasks will increasingly be automated.

At the same time, uniquely human capabilities such as creativity, judgment, leadership, innovation, collaboration, and strategic decision-making will become even more valuable.

One statement from the discussion perfectly captured this evolution:

“AI takes care of the what and the how; humans remain responsible for the why and the where to.”

The challenge for organizations is therefore not replacing employees, but enabling them to operate at a higher level of value creation.

Europe’s Challenge: Regulation, Execution Speed and Industrial Sovereignty

Europe possesses significant strengths:

A powerful industrial base
Unique industrial data assets
World-class engineering capabilities
Global leaders across many sectors

Yet these strengths are often constrained by:

❌ Market fragmentation

❌ Data silos

❌ Limited data-sharing culture

❌ Complex regulatory environments

❌ Lower investment levels compared with the United States and China

The question is therefore no longer whether AI will transform industry.

The real question is:

Which companies—and which regions—will learn fastest how to integrate AI into their products, processes, and business models?

In the years ahead, the speed of learning and adaptation may become as important a competitive advantage as the technology itself.

Conclusion

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a topic reserved for research labs or technology start-ups.

It is rapidly becoming the nervous system of modern industry.

For Europe, the opportunity is not necessarily to compete head-on with global technology giants in the race for general-purpose AI. Instead, its strength lies in combining industrial data, engineering excellence, domain expertise, and powerful industrial ecosystems to create the next generation of high-value industrial solutions.

The future of European industry will not be determined solely on factory floors.

It will be determined by Europe’s ability to transform its data, expertise, and collective intelligence into sustainable competitive advantage through Artificial Intelligence.

Industry and Europe: Is It Still Relevant to Compete Alone at the National Level?

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 17:28:22 GMT

As global competition intensifies and investment requirements soar, Europe's industrial future may depend less on national champions and more on its ability to build integrated cross-border ecosystems.

For decades, industrial competition was largely organized at the national level. France, Germany, Italy, and other European countries built their own industrial champions, innovation systems, and strategic priorities.

Today, however, the global landscape is changing rapidly.

The question is not whether national industries should disappear. Rather, it is whether the most strategic industrial battles of the coming decades can still be won by individual countries acting alone—or whether the relevant scale has become Europe itself.

Why Is the European Scale Becoming Necessary?

Development Costs Are Reaching Unprecedented Levels

In many strategic sectors, investment requirements now amount to tens or even hundreds of billions of euros. This is particularly true for:

Advanced semiconductors
Artificial Intelligence
Cloud infrastructure
Batteries and energy storage
Next-generation nuclear technologies
Defense systems
Space technologies

Few European countries can sustainably finance such ambitions on their own.

Global Competition Has Changed Scale

American and Chinese companies operate within vast domestic markets, benefit from coordinated industrial policies, and enjoy access to enormous pools of capital.

Meanwhile, Europe often remains fragmented:

Different regulatory frameworks
Multiple standards and certification systems
National public procurement policies
Fragmented financial markets
Competing industrial priorities

This fragmentation weakens Europe's ability to transform innovation into global industrial leadership.

Economic Security Has Become a Strategic Priority

Recent crises have exposed Europe's dependencies in energy, critical raw materials, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and digital infrastructure.

Industrial competitiveness is no longer only an economic issue—it has become a matter of resilience, technological sovereignty, and geopolitical influence.

What Could Tomorrow's European Industry Look Like?

1. A European Energy Industry

Europe could become a global leader in decarbonized energy by combining:

Nuclear power
Renewable energy
Smart grids
Energy storage solutions
Hydrogen ecosystems

The objective would not simply be energy transition, but turning clean, reliable, and affordable energy into a long-term competitive advantage.

2. European Defense

Defense is probably the sector where industrial integration will accelerate the most.

Europe already possesses world-class capabilities in aerospace, naval systems, land systems, cybersecurity, and defense technologies. The challenge is to reduce duplication, increase interoperability, and build stronger common procurement and industrial programs.

3. Semiconductors and Electronics

Europe is unlikely to dominate consumer electronics.

However, it can become indispensable in:

Industrial semiconductors
Automotive electronics
Power electronics
Advanced manufacturing equipment
Industrial automation technologies

These sectors align closely with Europe's existing industrial strengths.

4. Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Software

Europe may never replicate the scale of American hyperscalers.

Yet it possesses major assets in:

Industrial software
Automation
Robotics
Engineering simulation
Embedded systems
Digital twins

A successful European AI strategy may therefore focus on industrial applications rather than consumer platforms.

5. Advanced Materials and Green Transition Technologies

Europe has strong capabilities in:

Batteries
Recycling technologies
Advanced materials
Hydrogen
Synthetic fuels
Circular economy solutions

The challenge will be securing supply chains and avoiding the strategic dependencies that emerged in the photovoltaic sector.

6. Healthcare and Biotechnology

Europe already hosts global leaders in pharmaceuticals, medical technologies, and life sciences.

By strengthening collaboration between research institutions, startups, industrial groups, and investors, Europe could become one of the world's leading biotechnology ecosystems.

Beyond Industries: Building European Industrial Ecosystems

The real challenge is not only technological.

Success will depend on Europe's ability to connect research, industry, finance, public policy, and entrepreneurial ecosystems across borders.

Industrial leadership increasingly emerges from ecosystems rather than isolated companies.

Conclusion

Europe does not lack talent, innovation, industrial expertise, or scientific excellence.

It already possesses world-class universities, engineers, research centers, and industrial champions.

The decisive question is therefore no longer technological.

The decisive question is : Can Europe achieve the scale, coordination, and long-term vision required to transform its capabilities into globally competitive industrial ecosystems?

The answer to this question may well determine Europe's economic influence, strategic autonomy, and industrial prosperity for the next generation. The future of European industry will not be built by countries acting in isolation, but by stronger cross-border industrial ecosystems.

France and Germany, as Europe's two largest industrial economies, have a particular responsibility—and opportunity—to lead this transformation.

The Power of Integrated Ecosystems: Six Lessons from China's EV and Robotics Success

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 17:08:38 GMT

How long-term vision, industrial execution, and ecosystem coordination are shaping the next generation of global leaders.

China is once again demonstrating its ability to build a complete industrial ecosystem capable of achieving global leadership—this time in robotics. The comparison with the electric vehicle industry is particularly instructive.

In both sectors, China's success is not merely the result of technological innovation. It is the outcome of a carefully orchestrated ecosystem strategy executed over several decades. The same drivers of competitive advantage can be observed in both electric vehicles and robotics.

1. Long-Term Strategic Vision

China identified both electric vehicles and robotics as strategic industries long before they became mainstream.

Large-scale support for EVs began in the early 2000s, enabling China to bypass its historical disadvantage in internal combustion engine technology and position itself as a global leader in the transition to electric mobility.

Robotics later became a national priority through initiatives such as Made in China 2025, designed to modernize manufacturing, improve productivity, and address long-term demographic challenges.

The lesson is clear: industrial leadership is rarely accidental. It is often the result of a long-term vision consistently supported by policy, investment, and execution.

2. Building Entire Ecosystems, Not Individual Products

Rather than focusing on individual products or technologies, China develops complete value chains.

This includes raw materials, critical components, suppliers, software platforms, manufacturing capabilities, infrastructure, financing mechanisms, research institutions, and talent development.

The objective is not simply to produce successful products but to progressively control the critical nodes of the ecosystem that create long-term competitive advantage.

This ecosystem approach makes industries more resilient, scalable, and difficult for competitors to replicate.

3. Leveraging the Domestic Market as a Strategic Asset

China's vast domestic market provides an exceptional environment for industrial development.

Scale accelerates learning, encourages rapid adoption of new technologies, lowers production costs, and enables companies to refine products through real-world deployment.

As demonstrated in the EV sector, the domestic market acts simultaneously as a testing ground, a source of revenue, and a launchpad for international expansion.

Few countries can replicate this advantage, but all can learn from the importance of creating favorable conditions for early adoption and scaling.

4. Excellence in Industrial Execution

China's competitive advantage lies not only in innovation but also in industrial execution.

Its manufacturing ecosystem enables rapid cost reductions, short innovation cycles, fast decision-making, and the ability to move quickly from prototype to large-scale commercialization.

While innovation often attracts the headlines, execution frequently determines who captures value at scale.

In both EVs and robotics, China's strength comes from its ability to industrialize innovation faster and more efficiently than many competitors.

5. Intense Domestic Competition as a Catalyst for Innovation

China's domestic markets are among the most competitive in the world.

Hundreds of companies compete aggressively for market share, forcing continuous innovation, improving product quality, and accelerating cost efficiency.

The EV industry has demonstrated how intense competition can rapidly create world-class players. The robotics sector appears to be following a similar path.

Competition is not a weakness of the ecosystem—it is one of its most powerful engines of progress.

6. Creating Synergies Across Industries

Perhaps the most underestimated aspect of China's strategy is its ability to create connections between industries.

Technologies developed for electric vehicles—including batteries, sensors, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing systems, semiconductors, software platforms, and automation capabilities—are increasingly being leveraged in robotics.

Rather than developing industries in isolation, China builds interconnected ecosystems where innovation, talent, capital, infrastructure, and industrial capabilities reinforce one another.

This cross-sector integration accelerates innovation cycles and creates advantages that are difficult to replicate through isolated initiatives.

Conclusion

The key lesson may be that global leadership is no longer achieved through excellence in a single technology or industry.

It is increasingly the result of an integrated ecosystem strategy that aligns innovation, industrial capabilities, capital, infrastructure, talent, and market demand around common long-term objectives.

China has demonstrated this model in solar energy, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, and now robotics.

The question for Europe is no longer whether it can innovate. Europe possesses world-class research, engineering expertise, industrial know-how, and entrepreneurial talent. The real question is whether Europe can move beyond fragmented national approaches and build interconnected European ecosystems capable of transforming innovation into sustainable industrial leadership.

In an increasingly competitive world, the future may belong not to the strongest individual companies or technologies, but to the most integrated ecosystems.

When Tech Meets Defence: What VivaTech and Eurosatory Reveal About the New Strategic Economy

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 17:35:23 GMT

Where innovation, security and geopolitics converge, a new era of strategic resilience is emerging.

The juxtaposition of two major events held in Paris in June 2026 — VivaTech 2026 and Eurosatory 2026 — is particularly revealing.

At first glance, they appear to belong to two different worlds.

One celebrates startups, AI, digital transformation and civilian innovation. The other focuses on defence, security, military technologies and strategic autonomy.

Yet, beneath this apparent contrast, both events are telling the same story .

They are describing a world in which technology, economics, security and geopolitics are increasingly converging into a single interconnected system.

Why does this matter?

1. VivaTech and Eurosatory are describing the same historical moment

We are entering what I call a NAVI World — a world in which change is increasingly Nonlinear, Accelerated, Volatile and Interconnected .

From the rapid evolution of AI to geopolitical conflicts, from cyber threats to disrupted supply chains, governments and companies — large and small — are operating in an environment where technological, economic and geopolitical dynamics can no longer be considered separately.

The traditional boundaries between innovation, industry, defence and geopolitics are becoming increasingly blurred .

What happens in technology can rapidly affect national security.

What happens geopolitically can reshape industrial strategies.

And what happens in defence can accelerate technological innovation.

2. The convergence of civilian and military technologies

One of the clearest signals is the growing importance of dual-use technologies .

Innovation developed for civilian markets may eventually become a defence capability. Conversely, technologies initially developed for defence can generate major civilian applications.

AI, drones, robotics, advanced materials, satellites, cybersecurity, autonomous systems and quantum technologies are increasingly relevant to both worlds.

The distinction between “civilian technology” and “defence technology” is therefore becoming less clear-cut.

This creates new opportunities — but also new strategic responsibilities — for technology companies, industrial players, investors and governments

3. AI is becoming strategic infrastructure

At VivaTech, AI was everywhere.

But AI is no longer simply another technology sector or another source of productivity gains.

It is progressively becoming a foundational layer of the economy — influencing software, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, energy, financial services and virtually every knowledge-intensive activity.

At the same time, AI is becoming increasingly critical to defence: intelligence, surveillance, decision-making, autonomous systems, cybersecurity and operational superiority.

The strategic question is therefore moving beyond:

“Who develops the best AI?”

towards:

“Who controls the infrastructure, data, computing capacity, talent and ecosystems required to deploy AI at scale?”

This is where technology and sovereignty increasingly meet.

4. Sovereignty has become a technological and industrial issue

The notion of sovereignty is also evolving.

At VivaTech, the discussion increasingly revolves around digital sovereignty : data, cloud infrastructure, AI models, semiconductors, platforms and computing capacity.

At Eurosatory, sovereignty is expressed through defence sovereignty : industrial capabilities, resilient supply chains, strategic technologies and the ability to produce critical defence systems independently.

The underlying principle is similar:

Strategic dependence creates strategic vulnerability.

For governments and companies alike, controlling critical capabilities is becoming an essential component of long-term competitiveness and security.

5. Resilience is replacing pure efficiency

For several decades, the dominant industrial logic was largely built around cost optimization, globalization and efficiency .

The objective was to produce more efficiently, source globally and minimize redundancy.

The 2020s are changing that equation.

Companies and governments are increasingly confronted with:

Cyberattacks
Disinformation campaigns
Supply-chain disruptions
Armed conflicts
Energy vulnerabilities
Technological dependencies
Trade restrictions and geopolitical tensions

The objective is no longer simply to build the most efficient system .

It is to build a system that can continue to function when the environment changes unexpectedly .

In other words, resilience is progressively becoming as important as efficiency .

6. A new form of leadership is emerging

This transformation also requires a different kind of leadership.

In a world where technological, economic and geopolitical developments increasingly interact, leaders cannot rely solely on expertise within their traditional sector.

They need curiosity, adaptability and the ability to connect seemingly unrelated developments .

They must be able to understand technology without necessarily being technologists, geopolitical risks without being geopolitical specialists, and new business models without abandoning operational discipline.

This is where interdisciplinarity becomes a competitive advantage .

And perhaps one of the most valuable forms of interdisciplinarity today is the dialogue between the civilian technology and defence ecosystems .

The two worlds have different cultures, decision-making processes and time horizons.

But they increasingly face common challenges — and increasingly depend on each other's capabilities.

From Global Integration to Strategic Resilience

The evolution can be summarized in one major shift.

The 1990s–2010s were largely defined by Global Integration.

International trade was widely seen as a path towards prosperity and peace. Security was often taken for granted. Technology was primarily viewed as an engine of economic growth.

The 2020s are increasingly defined by Strategic Resilience.

Technology has become an instrument of power.

Data, AI and computing capacity have become strategic assets.

Industrial capabilities and supply chains have become security issues.

And sovereignty, geopolitical competition and national security are increasingly influencing economic decisions.

VivaTech and Eurosatory may therefore appear to represent two different worlds.

In reality, they are increasingly two sides of the same transformation .

The future will not be shaped by technology or defence alone.

It will be shaped by the ability to connect ecosystems, anticipate disruptions and build bridges between disciplines that were previously considered separate .

For companies and leaders, the strategic question is no longer simply:

“What is changing in our industry?”

It is:

“What is changing around our industry — and are we prepared to connect the dots?”

AI and International Business Development: The Future of Sales Leadership

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:54:53 GMT

Is the role of an Export Sales Director at risk from AI over the next 5 to 10 years?

The short answer is no.

Recent studies from PwC (AI Jobs Barometer 2026), EY and the World Economic Forum point not to the disappearance of the role, but to its profound transformation.

AI is dramatically augmenting commercial functions while increasing the value of strategic, relationship-driven leadership roles.

Many tasks that currently occupy 30–50% of a Sales Director's time—particularly those related to sales administration, reporting and performance monitoring—are likely to disappear or become 5 to 10 times faster.

What will be heavily automated or augmented?

Highly granular sales forecasting
AI is already playing a major role in this area through platforms such as Clari, Gong and Salesforce Einstein.
Lead scoring and opportunity prioritisation
Drafting emails, standard commercial proposals, and weekly or monthly reporting
Sales performance analysis
Anomaly detection, predictive forecasting and automated performance insights.
Standardised outbound prospecting and initial lead qualification

What remains extremely difficult to replace?

The Human Dimension

Complex negotiations and large strategic deals
Political context, trust-building, emotional intelligence, adaptability and real-time decision-making remain fundamentally human capabilities.
Multi-stakeholder alignment
Bringing together C-level executives, internal teams and external partners requires influence, conflict management and the ability to build conviction even when hard data is incomplete.
Country strategy and market prioritisation
Making decisions under uncertainty, shaping a three-to-five-year vision and taking calculated business risks cannot be delegated entirely to algorithms.
Team leadership and people management
Motivating teams, building culture, managing crises, handling egos and leading by example remain core leadership responsibilities.
Institutional relations and local influence
Long-standing networks, cultural understanding and political nuance continue to be decisive factors in many markets.
Decision-making in highly ambiguous environments
Economic crises, regulatory shifts, geopolitical tensions or trade disputes require leaders who can formulate emerging strategies and adapt beyond the original plan.

The Emerging Sales Leadership Model

The most likely scenario highlighted by current research is the emergence of the "Chief Revenue Architect" or "AI-Augmented Revenue Leader."

In this model, country sales leaders will oversee leaner teams while orchestrating AI agents responsible for forecasting, dynamic pricing, opportunity management and sales execution support.

Their focus will shift almost entirely toward:

Strategic direction
Key account development
Ecosystem partnerships
Market expansion
Human leadership
Oversight of AI-powered commercial operations

A Profession in Transformation

Rather than replacing sales leaders, AI is accelerating a profound shift in the nature of the role.

By removing much of the administrative and analytical workload, AI enables leaders to concentrate on what creates the most value: strategy, complex human interactions, intercultural business challenges and leadership.

Sales Directors who fully embrace AI—both as a set of tools and as a mindset—are likely to see their effectiveness, influence and market value increase significantly in the years ahead.

So, where do you stand in your own AI adoption journey?

How China is consolidating its position as the world's leading exporter?

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 19:56:05 GMT

Active networks and innovation, the 2 strong pillars of Chinese international development

China continues to weigh on the international stage. The country further increased its market share in world trade during the crisis. According to a note published by Euler Hermes, its market share among the world's top 20 exporters now stands at 25%, compared to an average of around 20% over the period 2017-2019. Despite the pandemic, China posted growth of 2.3% in 2020. The country's growth remains impressive, China's GDP has multiplied by 12 over the past 20 years while that of the USA has just doubled over the same period. With a current level of 16 942 billion dollars, it is now close to that of the Americans which weighs 21 921 billion dollars (Source - IMF)

This growth is not an accident. China has been woven a network for 30 years when we entered the era of globalization after the fall of the wall. In the country of Sun Tzu, mastermind of indirect strategy, an internationalization strategy is based on 3 steps:

1. a good knowledge of the different ecosystems through continuous Market Intelligence.

2. an art to prioritize and target the growth market segments.

3. a gradual allocation of the necessary resources without disturbing its foreign partners.

The two strong pillars of the international approach are the active networks and the innovation. Both are putting the country now in a more than favourable position to consolidate its position as a world leader in exports. A magical combination for China because networks provide an ideal framework for the integration of innovations and their commercialization. In return, the innovations consolidate the networks because they will be accompanied in the future by the creation of technological centres in the main foreign growth markets.

What can we say about these 2 pillars?

1. Active networks :

China has been able to observe and learn the lessons of export champion countries such as Germany and Japan. The strength of a large exporting country is based on the proximity of companies to customer demand and in their functioning in partnership networks which ensure the fluidity of the dissemination of know-how. In addition to partnerships, China has understood that a strong network presupposes mastery of the essential components of a value chain, whether upstream or downstream. Thus, the country now controls the reserves of rare metals, essential for the construction of batteries for electric vehicles, and it has become a benchmark in the field of logistics by positioning itself as the leading investor in strategic port areas for world trade.

In 2020, China has asserted itself even more against Europe and the USA. The regional partnership or RECEP, ratified on November 14, 2020, places the country in an ideal position as a locomotive in an area that represents 30% of the world's population and where a 90% reduction in customs duties is looming. By taking the lead of this zone, the country will be able to sell its new products even more easily and consolidate its position as the world's leading exporter.

2. Innovation:

It is clear that China is no longer just the workshop of the world but that it is gradually turning into a pioneer of innovation. The country no longer intends to play solely on incremental innovations and is gradually positioning itself on breakthrough innovations. Its strike force in the world of digitalization, with BATXs (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent and Xiaomi) which already compete with GAFAM, create ecosystems and innovation clusters that benefit other industrial sectors. Its immense reservoir of economic and financial resources now allows it to accelerate in promising sectors driven by innovation: AI, energy transition, additive manufacturing (3D), robotics, electric vehicles ...

In addition, digitization will allow Chinese exporters to exercise their creative intelligence and to show even more their responsiveness in studying needs and setting up corresponding services. A recent example of agility is the Chinese company Shipparts, which offers a new e-procurement portal specializing in marine spare parts. The company supplies spare parts for boats and offshore installations. According to Shipparts, the digitization of procurement processes could soon reduce the time taken to process spare parts orders by 80%. Indeed, additive manufacturing technology has the potential to revolutionize the aftermarket industry. Parts can be produced on demand, close to the location of the demand, bypassing logistics, storage, shipping and customs procedures. It is interesting to note that this type of innovation further strengthens the network and allows Chinese players to be in contact with many foreign companies in strategic import / export locations such as port areas. Innovations do not just meet a need, they are part of a strategy of internationalization.

Conclusion

China has sowed seeds on most continents for 30 years and is now reaping the benefits of its approach to international trade. More than a lesson in economics, it is also a lesson from Asian philosophy where time is the best of allies. Besides a long-term strategy, the foundations remain solid and pandemics have not really damaged the edifice of its exporting economy. China has become formidably effective because it has taken the time to organize itself and place itself at the centre of the ecosystems of global export activity. This mastery in the art of moving and this continuous adaptability can only facilitate the introduction of new products sustainably around the world.

Do you speak digital in your export business development ?

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMT

A cocktail of digital Marketing and intercultural negotiations skills

Do you speak digital? A prerequisite for international development. In the 90s, the new era of globalization opened up new horizons and any young manager had to show an ability to master English language to make an international career.

Today, 30 years later, you need to master the “digital language” for your Marketing, which is coupled with the mastery of foreign languages for your intercultural negotiations. Facing fewer business trips with the current crisis, the time has come for an English /Digital composite cocktail to gain agility and efficiency. But what exactly does it mean to speak digital?

Speaking digital means being able to take ownership of the digital tools at our disposal, to communicate properly with your foreign client remotely, exchange quality content, and offer them creative solutions. Animating your community of international customers, partners and suppliers now requires a careful mix of remote discussions upstream and physical meetings downstream, in particular for the last few meters of final negotiations.

This new language takes into account 2 mantras of Steve Jobs' Marketing philosophy: focus and simplicity - As remote discussions are shorter, like videoconferencing or webinars, it is key to be focused on the predefined subject and to keep your presentation simple and understandable.

Beyond the fundamentals of the managerial profession, it is now a question of having more muscles, by combining skills in digital marketing and intercultural negotiations to become augmented business developers. The more the manager is trained and supported, the more he will have this famous confidence which is sometimes lacking to certain export business developers facing experimented competitors.

Digital, which remains a means and not an end, is undoubtedly a great asset to allow innovative medium-sized companies to reach and develop as many markets as possible abroad.

Japanese trading houses and international development

Sat, 21 Nov 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Long term strategy and positive attitude

International trade is not dead and export still has some great years ahead. In September 2020, Warren Buffett has $7 billion invested in 5 international Japanese trading houses: Itochu, Marubeni, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, and Sumitomo. This shows that he believes in their model and in their resilience already demonstrated in the past.

It means above all that these International Trading Houses or “sôgô shôsha” are some kind of indicator or sextant for business companies who tend to navigate in the current sea of clouds. What matters is to be patient and see in the long term and not be short-seeing limited. Crisis or not, they have 2 strengths that continue to grow: firstly, their resilience to risk through the diversification of their activities, and secondly, their ability to discover and exploit new needs and numerous profit opportunities in a wide variety of fields.

Despite wars, economic crises, tsunamis, earthquakes, or pandemics, the sôgô shôsha continue expanding as one-of-a-kind businesses because their positive attitude in the face of hardship makes them capable of constant renewal.

They are finally a model for any exporter currently iterating its business model. Stay patient, positive and as it is said in Japan “Fall seven times, stand up eight”