SEMA members create products for vehicles that are sold globally, and a growing number are looking to overseas markets for new business opportunities. OMIX-ADA, headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia, has more than 15,000 Jeep parts and accessories in stock and has been selling them globally for years, but the company expanded its international business department a few years. Now, OMIX-ADA’s international business is growing faster.

For this second in a periodic series of articles about SEMA members that are making headway in growing their overseas business, Nathan Calabrese, OMIX-ADA’s director of international sales, provided insights into how the company identifies markets to target, what company executives look for in a distributor, and offers some tips on how to get started selling internationally.

One Company’s Methods May Be a Model for Others

SEMA members are increasingly finding overseas markets and growing their exports, at least in part by taking advantage of resources and opportunities made available through SEMA. Royal Purple is one such company. Last year, international sales of its consumer products grew from almost nothing to around $60,000. Now it is setting its sights much higher.

Strong Growth and Fatter Pocketbooks Warrant a Closer Look at the Potential in Latin America’s Second-Largest Economy

Automotive specialty-equipment manufacturers might want to take a look at selling into Mexico, the second-largest export market for the United States. According to the International Monetary Fund, 85% of the world’s growth—and new customers—over the next five years are located outside the United States, and our neighbor to the South is an increasingly interesting market.

The International Happy Hour at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas was the venue for the 2012 Global Media Awards. In front of a crowd of more than 1,000 exhibitors and international buyers, 150 companies learned that their products had been selected by a panel of 25 international journalists as this year’s hottest products, chosen from more than 2,000 entries in the Ideas Alive: New Products Showcase.

As with a similar program for the Middle East, the annual SEMA China Business Development Tour was designed to be a low-cost and high-value way to explore a new market. Activities included two full days of meetings with pre-vetted buyers in Shanghai and Beijing, visits to specialty-equipment shops in both cities, briefings by U.S. government officials based in China and the opportunity to network with both buyers and fellow SEMA members in an informal setting. In addition, trip participants were able to help defray the cost of participating through a three-year, $500,000 Market Development Cooperative Program Grant that SEMA was awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Helping International Buyers Find You at the SEMA Show

In a post-SEMA Show survey, exhibitors identified meeting potential new international customers and developing relationships with overseas buyers as an increasingly important goal. Exhibitors also felt that there was an increased international presence, with more global attendees at the 2011 SEMA Show than in the past several years—and they were correct! More than 25% of all buyers at the 2011 SEMA Show were from more than 100 nations outside the United States.

Pickups Are the Latest Craze on the Chinese Off-Road Scene

SEMA News recently traveled to Beijing, China, the center of the Chinese off-road market, to talk to some key players about evolving trends. All of the sources we consulted widely credited the Jeep Wrangler as one of the most exciting and important developments in recent years in growing the off-road market, but they said that pickups are the fastest-growing segment.

The Toyota HiLux is among the best-selling vehicles in the world—hitting more than 14 million units sold in 135 countries worldwide since its introduction. The 1-ton, double-cab, 4x4 pickup benefits from a reputation for reliability and sturdiness, and offers performance and appearance customization opportunities for a wide range of specialty-equipment manufacturers.

SEMA led a fact-finding and buying mission to the Middle East, where Abu Dhabi was the venue for a one-on-one matchmaking event held April 17–20. Through a series of private meetings and networking events, participating U.S. manufacturers gathered with pre-vetted local importers and retailers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and from throughout the region for the SEMA Middle East Market Development Conference. An intimate, hotel-based, one-on-one setting allowed manufacturers and buyers the opportunity to get to know one another over several full days and included receptions and events at the Yas Marina Circuit, which is the venue for the Abu Dhabi
Grand Prix.

Below is a roundup of proposed or recently enacted legislative and regulatory developments affecting the specialty-equipment industry in key overseas markets. For more information on overseas developments, SEMA members are invited to contact SEMA Director of International and Government Relations Linda Spencer.