China, as the largest market in the world, also holds an important place in our forecasts for the near future. Since last year we also have our own office and staff in China, with a view to promoting our presence and we can confirm that we are already starting to reap the first results. / EXPORTS 5. As we already mentioned, these markets are very impor- tant. They are still expanding, but some of them are quite the us nce consolidated. They offer vast opportunities, but at same time competition is very fierce. That is, all of manufacturers aim to be present and this grant releva to something we mentioned beforehand, a close presence with high-quality service which provides appropriate attention to the market’s inherent characteristics. 1. I believe you can’t pinpoint a moment when you start exporting significant amounts, rather than an export- focused nature is born with the company itself. We are not referring solely to Goratu, which was founded in 1994 and already then it exported more than 75% of its produc- tion, we are referring to the two brands which comprise it, Lagun and Geminis. Those entrepreneurial people who started the activity had already set the priority goal of being present in foreign markets. Being an emerging market sometimes entails that knowledge on the latest machinery technologies work techniques are yet to be known. In these countries it beco- mes even more important, if possible, to create a close relationship with the client and meet the expectations the client has created. 2. For exporting and for being present in the markets, the current demands require being in close contact with potential clients. We must understand their needs and be capable of designing and offering the machines which can truly contribute significant added value to their productive process. As well as a high-quality service, which ensures continuous support is provided to the clients after they have made the purchase. We are all aware that the first sale may be based on the trust we have generated, but a good level of service revalidates and consolidates this trust and leads the way to future sales. Therefore, one of the biggest challenges we face is being capable of offering a close, fast and quality service in all the markets we aim to be present it, thus, preparing highly qualified human teams. Enrique Basterrica, sales director for Goratu: “When exporting, we must understand the clients’ needs and offer them machinery which provides added value” 3. Taking into account the worrying situation of the local market, over the past year our export share exceeded 90%. 1. Since the company’s early days, exports have represented a fundamental element. Machine-tool commerce has been internationalized since the very beginning and, therefore, in order to have a significant presence we were forced to seek international projection from the start. The fundamental commitment took place in the mid 1980s with the opening of the first office in the US, in Chicago, then, at the end of the same decade, with the opening of the Hong Kong office as the beginning and then the cornerstone for developing our sales activity in Asia. The challenges which must be overcome are the generation of human teams for working with and for abroad and adapting the organisation: logistics, customs, local laws... 4. Our main market continues to be the most natural one us as Europeans, that is, the European Community, with Germany in the lead. Germany can represent 25% of our turnover. However, over the past few years, our aim to gain presence in growing markets has led us to achieve some very optimistic results in countries such as India or Russia, where we have made an extra effort and we have opened our own offices. Pedro Ruiz de Aguirre, managing director of Fagor Automation: “The challenges which must be overcome are the generation of human teams for working with and for abroad and adapting the organisation”. / 19