European Union

An outward business partnership development mission to Germany for ten pilot machinery & equipment companies - Trade mission for Machinery & Equipment linked to Subcontracting Hannover Trade Fair was successfully organized and conducted with support from the EU funded Project on 20 - 23 April 2009.

The Project contributes to improving the international competitiveness of Ukrainian small and medium sized enterprise (SME) through technical assistance in export and investment promotion. For this purpose the project team organized the Trade Fair participation of 10 Ukrainian Machine Building and Equipment SMEs from Kharkiv at the Hannover Fair, the largest Industrial Trade Fair in the world. Due to a cooperation agreement the companies presented themselves also at the Ukrainian national stand at the fair. Juergen Mendritzki, project Key Expert, accompanied the companies to Hannover and organized and conducted matchmaking activities with EU companies. More than 100 meetings took place during the 3 days at the fair. Juergen Mendritzki commented: “All Ukrainian companies participating in the mission to Hannover actively used the opportunity to find new business partners from the EU.“

Ruslan Tsyganok, Marketing Director of Sinta LLC said: “ Our company is interested in collaboration with distribution companies from Europe in order to increase sales of our advanced solutions in the field of nanotechnology. Our Project had own booth, where we were able to carry out meetings with foreign partners, interested in our products, as well as to present them our investment profiles”.

Iryna Chupova, Director of “Engineering Bureau of Aviation Institute said: “ Project’s experts organised for our companies 12-14 meetings per day, so it was very useful for us to set up commercial links with EU companies and other foreign enterprises”.

Outward mission combined trade fair attendance; trade mission for exporters; and trade mission for companies seeking investors. The main purpose of the missions is to establish business links between Ukrainian and EU companies and help the participating SMEs to find potential customers and/or investors.

Within the framework of the Project, six partnership development missions for selected pilot SMEs are being conducted: three inward missions and three outward missions. One foreign and one inward mission are planned for each of three sectors: IT services, woodworking/furniture and machinery/equipment.

The first inward mission for machinery & equipment companies including an International Investment & Business Forum for Machinery & Equipment Industry (on 1st of April 2009) had been organised during the INTERTOOL Trade Fair (31 March – 3 April 2009) – an international exhibition for hardware, tools and equipment.

Future events for the other two sectors planned in April - June:

27 - 30 April 2009	Trade mission for IT linked to Internet World UK	London, UK
18 - 22 May 2009	Trade mission for Woodworking & Furniture linked to Ligna Fair	Hannover, Germany
26 - 29 May 2009	Business forum for Woodworking & Furniture linked to woodworking trade show	Lviv, Ukraine
15 - 16 June 2009	Business Forum & matchmaking event for IT companies	Kyiv, Ukraine

For further information, please contact:

Martynenko Nataliya, Communication Expert, e-mail: nataliya.martynenko@sme-int.com.ua

Alexander Kirilkin, Business Development Expert, email: akirilkin@sme-int.com.ua

EU Funded Project

"Support to the Development of Business Capacity of Ukrainian SME – International Dimension"

9/11 Arsenalna Street, room 614

01011 Kyiv, Ukraine
Tel (044)229-6183
Fax (044)229-8527

www.sme-int.com.ua