By Guan Bin, Ni Guixiang & Yang Chunhua
In 2010, although global environment remains complicated, Sinotruck keeps tapping the international emerging market, and its efforts have paid off. On April 27, its first 500 HOWOA7 tractors were shipped in Qingdao for Venezuela, which was another big order taken by the automaker this year after a number of orders from Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and South Africa. It is learned that for the first half of this year Sinotruck has exported more than 4,000 vehicles, approaching the figure for last year.
In the past few years, Sinotruck has been aggressively pursuing its internationalization strategy. In the face of the impact of the international financial crisis, by sticking to transforming method and regulating structure, it has further boosted its market competitiveness and expanded the export market.
Drawing upon successful experience in marketing network development from the domestic market, in the recent two years Sinotruck has been actively pressing ahead with the building of marketing service network in the international market. It partners with dealers and automakers with solid strength to build a marketing service network quickly. Sinotruck provides its partners with technology, spare parts, materials, special tools and training. Meanwhile, it dispatches excellent technical professionals abroad to provide customers with guidance in after-sales service.
Furthermore, by transforming export business model, in 2010 Sinotruck has moved marketing management forward. It divided the global market into six regional markets and set up 24 representative offices, each of which plans and builds marketing service network in different regional markets. At the same time, to better tap the international market, Sinotruck revamped the functions of its import and export company's departments and its staff assignment.
First of all, Sinotruck refined the responsibilities of the import and export company's seven departments and its six regional offices, and clarified main business processes of front line and home front. Moreover, in light of the regional division of work made by the group for the international markets, based on the principle of "staff should be allocated according to the region", "front line takes precedence of home front" and "backbones is prior to commons", Sinotruck optimized the allocation of human resources among its units, especially regional offices. Work handover is organized between chief representatives of the regional offices, and between regional offices and the import and export company.
To ensure the continuity of business during the hand-over period, Sinotruck set up an interim work group for vehicle resource guarantee. Apart from actively assisting in the regulation and handover in the export division, chief representatives of the regional offices and the import and export company's management team get familiar with the regions' business and staffing, and keep close track of and transfer the information on sale. Judging by orders and major contracts concluded, the work handover of Sinotruck's regional offices has produced remarkable results.
It is learned that at present Sinotruck has more than 70 dealers and nearly 300 after-sale service outlets around the world. Its marketing network covers 94 countries and regions. Furthermore, its "Sinotruck" brand has won a host of honors, including Recommended Export Brand by China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Machinery & Electronics Products and an export brand prioritized for cultivation and development in Shandong. In only several years, thanks to the support of people from all circles of life, "Sinotruck" has become a renowned self-owned brand in China. Meanwhile, as its products are sold to many countries and regions, it has risen as a Chinese auto brand widely accepted by users from around the world.
Through transforming method and regulating structure, Sinotruck has stepped up the development of the international market. This enables it to seize opportunities in the emerging markets: the automaker shipped 300 A7 vehicles to Algeria in April; its knockdown (KD) for nearly 200 vehicles reached the destination - Morocco; it is about to clinch big dealers with Angola and Ethiopia. Gaining a foothold in the international market, Sinotruck has built a favorable image for its high-quality heavy trucks in the market.
