Japanextion displays exciting SME products

Koji Yamamoto and Shogo Ishida at the Japan Trade Centre at Dubai World Central. — KT photo by Mukesh Kamal

Dubai — Armed with a mission to promote innovative home-grown small and medium enterprises, or SMEs, in the UAE, the Japan Trade Centre, a private business-to-business platform, hosted a Japanextion in Dubai.

The two-day event saw 16 exhibitors showcasing over 100 products, specialising in food and beverage, confectionary, textile, jewellery, industrial materials, furniture and high-end technologies.

“In the first hour alone, we’ve had about six companies and 10 individuals who expressed their interest in these offered products. We have high expectations, and it is enlightening to learn out what kinds of products the UAE market is interested in,” said Koji Yamamoto, executive producer of the Japan Trade Centre.

From wood-based functional gadgets to unique beauty serums, the exhibition shone the spotlight on some of Japan’s best contemporary SMEs waiting to be discovered by the international market. Furthermore, halal-certified consumables are expected to reel in a great deal of positive attention in the Middle East.

To date, Japan’s exports to the UAE recorded $8.5 billion in 2014, where the automobile industry constitutes a large chunk of the pie, followed by general and electrical machinery and rubber products.

“While huge enterprises can explore the foreign market for themselves, it is not an easy task for SMEs, where financial and human resources are not sufficient. This is where we step in. The Japan Trade Centre provides a better and easy way to bring Japanese quality into the UAE market,” said Shogo Ishida, director of the International Strategic Department at the Japan Trade Centre.

“Japanextion is our first attempt to bridge the gap between Japanese products and buyers and distributors in the UAE, and we are quite confident in the quality of products,” he said, adding that there are plans for similar events in the near future, which can be viewed on its official website.

The Japan Trade Centre currently has over 2,000 Japanese business partners, including manufacturers and traders that offer a melting pot of over 30,000 products. It also addresses obstacles such as language barriers and lack of knowledge on international markets to help SMEs participate in booming possibilities abroad. The Japan Trade Centre is the first country-specific company to have set up base in Dubai World Central in anticipation to the upcoming Expo 2020. “We want to contribute towards increasing the number of Japanese companies based in Dubai alongside foreign direct investments in Dubai and the UAE. As for short-term and mid-term goals, we want many Japanese products to be present across hypermarkets in the UAE,” Ishida said.

“The UAE is an ideal business gateway. It is a strategic location that connects to the rest of the world. Our base in Dubai World Central is expected to further boost operations and we hope to contribute towards the success of Expo 2020,” said Yamamoto.

Also highlighting its location, Ishida concluded: “Our location in Dubai World Central is expected to be a comprehensive economic aerotropolis centred around Al Maktoum International Airport. In the coming decade, it will play a quintessential role for Dubai’s further expansion, and we would like to be a part of it.”

— farhana@khaleejtimes.com