Asia-Pacific
A crucial region for future growth
- Expand globally
- Markets
- Asia-Pacific
FOCUS ASIA – A NEW INITIATIVE TOWARDS ASIA
In 2024, as part of the Swedish government's new strategy for foreign trade, investments, and global competitiveness, Business Sweden launched "FocusAsia". FocusAsia aims to assist more Swedish companies in exploring opportunities to increase their exports to the Asia-Pacific region and includes several targeted initiatives for small, medium, and large enterprises. With over 150 Business Sweden business developers based across the region, all possessing extensive knowledge of the local market and its conditions, we are ready to help your company succeed in its venture into the Asia-Pacific region.
Contact our team directly, learn more about the business opportunities Asia has to offer, or participate in one of our events throughout the year.
Quick facts
Why Asia
- Asia currently accounts for approximately 40% of the global economy, and the region is expected to contribute nearly 60% of global GDP growth by 2024. The fastest growth is projected in India, with an expected GDP growth of 6.8% this year.
- 60% of the world's population lives in Asia, compared to 10% in Europe.
- There is significant urban migration, with 550 million more people expected to be living in cities by 2035.
- There is strong demand for Swedish products—especially in sustainable solutions, transportation, medical technology, and environmental technology.
Ripe with opportunity
For many companies it has become crucial to establish a foothold in the region simply because it is so ripe with opportunity. Many large Swedish industrial companies already have a strong heritage there, having entered the market several decades ago. As a result, Swedish products and brands have an established reputation of quality and cutting-edge technology. But entering APAC can also be seen as a particularly tough task, and Swedish SME exports to the region are presently lagging behind European peers. Studies have shown that they find it challenging because of the distance, cultural differences, perceived business risk, and also their own bottlenecks in terms of limited resources, etc.
Our presence in Asia-Pacific
After all, more than 20 countries make up the Asia-Pacific market – a gigantic region with a diverse set of cultures, religions, languages and social trends that differ from city to city. This is where Business Sweden can help. We have a team with over 150 business developers on the ground throughout the region itself, all with in-depth and inside knowledge about each corner of the different markets.
The Supply Chain Helpdesk provides companies with latest trends and validates initial questions on their supply chain set-up in Asia, including light supplier evaluations
Why it's important
- Supply chain reconfiguration is a growing concern due to global disruptions and uncertainties
- New requirements on transparency and traceability (e.g. CS3D, CBAM) of goods imported into the EU market also require greater control from companies
- Supply chain decisions are more critical and costly than export-related decisions, requiring a fact-based and unbiased approach
Insights
Half-year supply chain reports
Hands-on advice and cases, focusing on country-to-country movements, new regulations from key exporting markets, etc., based on interviews with COO and Supply Chain Managers
Three seminars and round tables
Supply chain transformation trends (from interviews), strategic considerations for establishing a resilient supply chain in Asia and navigating regulatory and trade compliance.
Our support
Supports companies that have an established supplier footprint to review and identify potential new suppliers
Key activities could cover:
- Potential optimization of the current supply chain setup through evaluation of strategic fit and comparing with industry benchmarks
- Setting criteria for new suppliers based on marketing understanding and specific requirements of companies
- Supplier searches using a systematic funnel approach
- Supplier visits and competence validation with physical meetings
16 hours for initial validation to SMEs
- We can provide an overview and answer questions on supply chain transformation opportunities for companies
Key questions could cover:
- Are there requirements on local content for selling in a particular market?
- What are ways that regulations can affect the supplier setup?
- Should the company set up their own production or find suppliers in specific markets?
- Which countries are the most relevant for production set-up?
Click here if you have questions or face challenges regarding your supply-chains and suppliers in Asia-Pacific
Contact Johan Lennerfalk or Yingying Ge if you have any questions regarding the helpdesk.
