Mediacentrum
20.11.2009 | Whereas the 20th century was dominated economically by the USA, it appears that Asia will put its stamp on the 21st century.
Demand in Asia is growing so strongly that it is becoming attractive even for medium sized enterprises to venture beyond the saturated markets of Europe and North America. An essential requirement for SMEs is that they succeed in overcoming the traditionally high market entry barriers of the Far East and in feeling at home in a new cultural environment.
Particularly successful and adept in this discipline is the Swiss DKSH Group, created somewhat more than seven years ago from the merger of the three leading Swiss trading houses: Diethelm, Keller and SiberHegner, all of which could look back on over 140 years of widespread business activities in Asia. From the first, hesitant opening up of the Japanese market in the middle of the 19th century right up until today, the group has operated in Asia. Over that time, DKSH has evolved from a traditional trading house into a dedicated specialist for all aspects of market expansion in Asia. Today, the group is the unquestioned leader in this Market Expansion Services industry in the Far East.
With a finely attuned feeling for trade, tradition and mentalities, Joerg Wolle, CEO of the DKSH Group, guides the reader through the history of the enterprise and provides an in-depth insight into the Asian markets and the development of Swiss-Asian trading relationships. Drawing on a number of typical cases, the author illustrates how DKSH did and still can act as a partner specifically for SMEs by providing decisive support during the critical market entry phase, and how three family businesses developed into one of Switzerland’s biggest companies – a hitherto unrecorded piece of Swiss economic history.
