Australian companies networking in Asia

Australian companies networking in Asia

By Dewi Anggraeni

MELBOURNE (JP): There is very little doubt that Australia is
serious about moving further into the global market. The third
National Trade and Investment Outlook Conference, convened by the
government on Dec. 4 to Dec. 6 in Melbourne, was attended by over
1,200 delegates, the number increasing each year.

Attended by business representatives from Indonesia, Brunei,
The Philippines, Malaysia, Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Japan,
Korea, China, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom,
United States and Australia, it was decidedly a networking party.

Indonesia's presence was bigger than previous years, with
approximately 50 delegates representing various companies of all
sizes. Indonesian Minister for Transportation Dr. Haryanto
Dhanutirto was one of the speakers at the Opening Plenary
Session, inviting businesses to invest in Indonesia. The Market
Update Session on Indonesia attracted 500 delegates, swallowing
almost half of the total conference population.

The market session update was the corporate version of show
and tell, preceded by a talk of exhortation, by the Australian
Ambassador to Indonesia Allan Taylor.

Ambassador Taylor assured interested delegates that Indonesia
was committed to further growth and deregulation, and that
overseas confidence in Indonesia continued to increase, beckoning
those still hesitating to join in.

Exhortation would be all talk if not followed by show and
tell. After political stability, business entrepreneurs with more
caution than adventure in their blood usually look for leaders.
Leaders with a success story under their belt. And since the
majority of the delegates were not corporate giants, they wanted
to know if small and medium enterprises could step in the area
without sloshing into a quicksand of bureaucracy and other, as
yet, unknown difficulties.

James Fennesey of Lend Lease Corporate Services cheerfully
recounted how his company strove (rather than strode) to success
through good knowledge of the field. Lend Lease believes in
partnerships with local companies to move further into the
market. And moved far it did. It is now in partnership with Sinar
Mas and BII. Fennesey even showed a chart displaying that
Indonesia was firmly in the "comfort zone", as far as doing
business overseas was concerned.

For those not in the same size business as Lend Lease, there
was Roy Rogers of Bissaloy Steels. Bissaloy had only begun
exporting to Southeast Asia five years ago, Roy Rogers -- no
corporate cowboy -- explained. A medium-sized company with enough
oomph in its veins, Bissaloy went into the region, especially
Indonesia, knowing there were risks.

One risk they knew was the lack of infrastructure so taken for
granted at home. However, one does not have to step onto the
terrain blindfolded. "We used the assistance of Austrade for
market research and introduction to local companies," Rogers
confessed. Another aspect he emphasized was cultural sensitivity.
For this he openly thanked his Australian education which had
prepared him for the task of crossing cultures in business. "To
do business it is important for us to feel comfortable with one
another," he said. One-third of their time was spent building
relationship with their Indonesian partners, Rogers stressed.

James Riady of Lippo Group provided the interface, so to
speak. Educated in Australia, successful in business in
Indonesia, his word was as good as gold. Riady assured the
delegates that the Indonesian government's track record in its
commitment to open the economy was unshakable. He even gave an
added dimension to the picture. A 7 percent growth in Gross
Domestic Product, he said, did not tell the whole story. "The
private sector in Indonesia has grown much faster, approximately
16 percent," confided Riady.

Every good picture deserves a frame. Shanty Poesposoetjipto of
Soedarpo Corporation provided the framework, complete with
historical facts and figures of Indonesia's economic development,
enhancing the credibility of the stories told by the previous
speakers.

The conference can be roughly divided into three groups: those
who sought capital, goods and services; those who sought markets
for their goods and services; and those who sought user-friendly
places to invest their businesses in. Indonesia, it seems, still
falls into the first group, albeit the more alluring variety.

The business world today appears to be a continuing party of
networking, where suits for the male of the species are decidedly
a prerequisite.

Dewi Anggraeni is a journalist and writer based in Australia.