1. Keys For International Expansion
Paul Goates
Senior Director of Client Solutions
ModusLink
March 11, 2015
2. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Introduction
18 year career in logistics industry
Advises on global supply chain and logistics
strategy and growth for top high tech accounts,
including Apple, Micron, Microsoft, Dell and
Fitbit.
Supporting programs for high tech and healthcare
clients in the supply chain divisions of Schenker,
UPS and FedEx.
Graduated from the University of Utah in Salt Lake
City with a degree in history with an emphasis on
the logistics of warfare.
Played on the 9th ranked 1994 Freedom Bowl
Championship football team
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Paul T. Goates
Senior Director
Client Solutions for ModusLink
3. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
About ModusLink
ModusLink (NASDAQ: MLNK), is a global, omni-channel logistics provider.
The company gives clients real-time visibility into their end-to-end supply and demand
chain operations, with expertise and facilities worldwide to manage forward and reverse
logistics.
ModusLink is also affiliated with @Ventures which provides venture capital and growth
resources to early stage clean technology companies.
The company’s operations are supported by more than 25 solution centers across North
America, Europe and the Asia/Pacific region with 3 contact centers – one in each region.
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4. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
The Keys to International Expansion - Overview
As companies enter a high-growth period, one of the main ways they look to expand is by
adding international sales. This is easier said than done.
For a small but growing business, there are numerous considerations that you may not be
aware of. How can you expand quickly to transform your supply chain to a competitive
advantage? What are the best practices and potential problems you need to be aware
of when partaking in international business? What questions should you be asking
yourself?
Today’s discussion will provide a "next steps for international expansion" guide,
highlighting the many and various things that companies need to take into consideration –
and offering practical advice on how and where to start.
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5. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Logistics 101 – The Basics
So, what is logistics after all? What does it entail –
and why is it important to the burgeoning wearable
technology industry?
You are only as strong as your …
Wikipedia defines logistics as:
– “The management of the flow of goods between the point
of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet
some requirements of customers or corporations. The
resources managed in logistics can include physical items,
such as food, materials, animals, equipment and liquids,
as well as abstract items, such as time, information,
particles and energy.”
To truly understand the importance of logistics, one
must look back at its history…
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6. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Logistics in Warfare:
The Very Model of a Modern Major General
"Gentlemen, the officer who doesn't know his supply chain as well
as his tactics is totally useless.“
- Gen. George S. Patton, USA
"Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics.“
- Gen. Robert H. Barrow, USMC (Commandant of the Marine Corps)
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7. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Logistics in Warfare:
The Very Model of a Ancient Major General
“The line between disorder and order lies in logistics…”
- Sun Tzu
“My logisticians are a humorless lot ... they know if my campaign
fails, they are the first ones I will slay.”
- Alexander
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8. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Logistics in Corporate America:
The Very Model of a Modern Chief Logistics Officer
"Leaders win through logistics. Vision, sure. Strategy, yes. But when you
go to war, you need to have both toilet paper and bullets at the right place
at the right time. In other words, you must win through superior
logistics."
- Tom Peters - Rule #3: Leadership Is Confusing As Hell, Fast Company,
March 2001
Dell in the mid-90’s …. Walmart …. Apple
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9. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Growth of the Wearables Market
The wearable technology market has seen
tremendous growth recently – with even more
expected in the next few years.
– The wearable electronics market is expected to grow
from over $14 billion in 2014 to $70 billion in 2024,
according to recent research from IDTechEx.
– The dominant sector will remain healthcare, which
merges medical, fitness and wellness.
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10. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Moving to a Global Marketplace
As companies become successful and enter a high-growth
period, international expansion is often the next step.
– The idea of selling goods that are “new to that market” is enticing – and
often allows for resource re-use.
– International expansion is an excellent way to improve brand
awareness and solidify your company’s place in the industry.
– There’s a premium placed on beating the competition to new
geographies.
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11. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Challenges of Rapid Growth
International expansion is not easy:
• Localization of Product
• Packaging
• eCommerce
• Call Center / Customer Support
• Transportation
• Government: Regulations & Taxes
• Reverse Logistics/After Sales
• Outsourcing
• Sustainability
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12. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Keys to Expanding Correctly – Getting Started
Evaluate
Set a plan-of-attack
Determine Timeline
Assess Infrastructure
Ensure Flexibility
Mitigate Risk
Resources:
Consultants, Logistics Providers, Mentors
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14. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
eCommerce, Foreign Currency and Exchange Rates
Can your eCommerce site handle the expanded
traffic?
Can it easily be ported to a new language?
Do you accept foreign currencies and automatically
factor in the latest exchange rates?
Will your site and back end systems scale
successfully as new geographies are added?
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15. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
International Shipping and Transportation
What are the best routes to keep shipping costs
low?
Have we traditionally guaranteed product delivery in
a short period of time? Can we maintain that
guarantee internationally?
How will differences in fuel costs affect my
operations?
Where do our facilities – manufacturing, assembly,
distribution, etc. – need to be placed to maintain a
sustainable shipping and transportation cost
structure, while continuing to meet customer
demand?
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16. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Reduce carbon footprint while improving the bottom
line.
By reducing the size of its product packaging,
using more recyclable materials, decreasing carbon
emissions and cutting transportation costs. (Bonus:
Reduced Labor)
Better IT = better visibility across the entire supply
and demand chain = better decision making and
correcting problems sooner so that more efficient
ways of doing business can be implemented and
overall costs of doing business decreased.
The antagonist: marketing focused on “customer
experience” …more balance needed
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Sustainability in the Supply Chain
17. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Outsourcing
Many growing companies have found it helpful
to outsource many of these logistical issues to a
third party, freeing the young company up to
continue innovating.
How much/how little is right to outsource?
What should we retain control over?
How do you choose a partner that is committed
to your success?
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18. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Communication / Relationships / Trust
Communication / Relationships / Trust
Communication / Relationships / Trust
Communication / Relationships / Trust
Communication / Relationships / Trust
Communication / Relationships / Trust
Communication / Relationships / Trust
Communication / Relationships / Trust
Communication / Relationships / Trust
Communication / Relationships / Trust
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Outsourcing (Continued)
19. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Government Involvement, Regulations,
Requirements and Taxes
How involved/not involved do you have to be with certain
governments?
Are there countries more open/less open to supporting business
expansion?
What do you need to do/file to sell goods in a particular country?
Each country has its own differing regulations and requirements for
selling products within its borders – everything from environmental,
to privacy, to disclosure to the materials used in the product.
How can you manage different regulations in different countries?
Which country has the strongest regulations – and if we design the
product to meet those, will we be covered?
What taxes exist in different geographies – and will factoring these
in affect where facilities are placed?
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20. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Packaging
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Does your packaging meet the need of every
country you’ll be selling to?
How many packaging variations will you need?
What environmental concerns need to be taken into
account?
Are your facilities configured to support different
packaging for different countries?
When do I kit/package? Origin or in region?
21. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Customer Support Needs: Contact Center vs. Call Center
Support is a critical element of maintaining a strong
connection with your customer base.
Are your current systems able to handle
international customers?
What training needs to be done to handle
international customers? Do you need facilities in
specific countries to serve your growing base?
What analytics can drive better decisions and more
profitability?
What kind of upselling or data gathering is possible
for expanded sales?
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22. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
International Returns and After Sales
Can your reverse logistics be handled on an
international scale?
Do you have one global facility to accept returns, or
have customers return goods within their regions?
Do you have processes in place to not have the
returned goods be a total loss – i.e., the ability to
accept and refurbish the goods or strip them down?
Don’t walk away from real money.
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23. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Case Study – GoPro
Nick Woodman founded GoPro in March 2004 to build and sell a wearable
camera to enable surfers to capture close up pictures while surfing.
By 2012, GoPro had outgrown its existing supply chain process, as it
needed to improve scalability and better manage the supply and demand
realities it was facing – while setting itself up to manage future growth.
The company sought to reduce supply chain costs and ensure
scalability by establishing final assembly in three continents.
ModusLink had already built and was running a full reverse logistics
process for GoPro, getting returned products sorted, broken down and
back into circulation.
The company had also been handling GoPro’s contact center operations
and soon began managing eCommerce, payment processing, packaging
and fulfillment….created powerful synergies.
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25. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Case Study – GoPro
As a part of its supply chain evolution, GoPro began the “regional
postponement” process to lower its overall assembly expenses – including
inventory, labor, packaging and transportation costs.
GoPro and ModusLink set up a process raw finished goods were
transported in trays sent to regional warehouses for final kitting and
assembly to be shipped directly to retail and consumers.
This allowed GoPro to better manage supply and demand for its
products, ensuring regions of high demand had the products they needed to
fulfill customer orders – and that there wasn’t product waiting around to
be shipped in times of lesser demand.
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26. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Hong Kong
(SAL)
B2B
(Non-EU International Distys)
Cameras and remotes air
freight to region
Fremont, CA
(DCL)
B2C (NA)
Riverside, CA
(ModusLink)
B2B, RL
Postponement (NA)
Venray, NE
(ModusLink)
B2B, B2C, RL
Postponement (EU)
Singapore
(ModusLink)
B2C, RL (Asia)
Camera assembly
in China.
Regional Asia pack-
out Futian
(ModusLink),
distribute to Asia
distributors from HK
Ocean freight lower box
accessories to region
Key to success: partnered with a single global 3PL that could provide all of these services
GoPro Supply Chain Today
27. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
GoPro’s Supply Chain Success
Using one omni-channel logistics provider to work with,
GoPro realized synergies through increased visibility,
supply and demand planning
By working with ModusLink, GoPro was able to:
– Lower freight costs 75%
– Bring down inventory costs 11%
– Drop cut pick, pack and ship costs by 10%
– Increase final camera pack-out capacity from
15,000 to 70,000 per day
– Increase daily fulfillment capacity from
25,000 to 120,000 per day
– Improve air lift space efficiency by 10 times
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28. COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL
Contest
#1 What is a key difference between a Call center and a Contact Center?
#2 T/F: The best time for planning for holiday peak is six months in advance.
#3 T/F: The end of the Supply Chain is when the goods arrive in the customers hands
#4 T/F: Logistics is best described as the physical movement of goods
#5 What are the two best countries outside the US for Europe and Asia logistics?
#6 If Alexander fails in his military campaign, who is slain first?
#7 Most important thing to remember with a logistics partner?
#8 What year did the Utah football team win the Freedom Bowl (and National ranking that
year)
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29. Paul Goates
Senior Director of Client Solutions,
ModusLink
425-998-7556 m
paul_goates@moduslink.com
Thank You!
…Questions?
Editor's Notes
Keys for International Expansion
Abstract: As companies enter a high-growth period, one of the main ways they look to expand is by adding international sales. This is easier said than done. For a small but growing business there is a lot to deal with that they simply do not have expertise in - how can you expand quickly to beat out competitors from doing so? What are the best practices and potential problems you need to be aware of when partaking in international business? How does this change from country to country? Are there specific countries that are easier/harder than others to work with? What payment and currency issues do we need to be aware of? What regulations need to be complied with in what countries? This presentation will provide a "next steps for international expansion" guide for attendees, highlighting the many and various things that companies need to take into consideration - and offering tips on how and where to start.
Two of my passions … In wartime, logistics is often is a matter of life and death. In business, the logistics decisions can sink or help surge ahead of the competition. Fortunately one’s life is on the line…..
Liggon Johnson/Biran Scates
Paul T. Goates…Sr. Director of Client Solutions…
-18 yrs/Apple, Dell, MS, Fitbit, Nintendo
Logistics in warfare at the UofU in SLC
Ute … Not BYU (SLC)…DL, not OL
…sports analogies to a minimum
…my favorite thing about myself
fancy way, everything except the manufacturing
…procure, fulfill, transport, web cart, payment,,
call center, returns & repair
25 sites + 3 call centers in each region of the globe
Sustainability/awards … @Ventures
Streamlining SC reduce + enable sustainability
great companies …failed/poor logistics ..ect..
my goal is to help you understand the basics
talk about some of the core challenges
…Help you ask the right questions
…Share some practical advice
…Give you key strategies
…we’ll wrap it up with a case study
…and we will have some fun too….
listen carefully… questions & prizes
“Point a to point b….how hard can it be?”
Logistics is a broad term …
Not just the movement of goods
…abstract: information, funds
…other considerations: Government regulations and taxes
One shipment may encounter
double, triple, sometimes quadruple regulations
understand logistics history (history of logistics = warfare)
To excel at logistics, you have to be a little obsessive to the next level:
Costco Spoons
One word: preparation/plan of attack
When do you prepare?
To win at logistics, you have to be a little obsessive
Urban Meyer? … on the plane?
When does apple prepare for peak holiday season?…
Why is what we are talking about important? Next 10 years 5 fold
A lot of Time, Money and Carbon spent ….
Hollywood 80’s…
Rise of China 21 apple stores 40 next year
(my home is town outside of Seattle ¾ Chinese buyers)
Thomas Freedman world is flat
Fareed Zachariah … rise of the rest
Language barriers/Currency issues
Preparation & Infrastructure is everything:
Int’l Infrastructure: NL and Singapore
Evaluate, plan, execute….repeat
(constant vigilance
evaluation of a moving logistics landscapes
Frequent checkups are need.
Never, ever Done…
Resources: Consultants, Logistics Providers, Mentors
Powerful tools…SC GURU
Baseline, optimized network, adjust tactics,
simulate and predict, Test alternative models
risk mitigation
….Business continuity, or disaster recovery plan
Biotronik…”Best moment of my professional life”
Flexible handle the expanded traffic?
New languages? New Geos? Currencies?
Travolta/Pulp
….same things over there, just a little different
(different enough to make a difference)
Ligon/Dishes
Not fastest point a to point b…
Taxation, tariffs,
Singapore to Brazil??
Australia?
Trans & Fuel
Infrastructure: Origin, DC & IT
Not an afterthought.
CSX ton of freight 450 miles 1 fuel
(actually 436 miles, but who’s counting)
More ground than air (3x cost)
Ocean in the cheapest, 4 weeks to spare?
Better packaging design - density
Better IT … better visibility enables better, more efficient decisions.
The antagonist…strike a balance…
When? End to end: synergies there....
…. A la cart…
Who…research, ask network…gotta do your homework.
Comm. w/precision: Paul Goates…in Texas
Handcuffed to Ankles
NOA: Theft….Baseball
Best practice / providers Ghirardelli Choc
Important to: prepare
…difficult to prepare for
Ash Cloud from Iceland Volcano ‘11
Indonesian Tsunami ’04
GoPro 120k mfg defect written off <1wk
Leslie Moonves billion dollar multi year Olympics/NLF contracts…
be fair, “can” doesn’t mean you should…next negotiation….
NL/Singapore
Always exceptions…Singapore to Brazil … via Miami
Labor laws change.
China 2016 15 days severance < 6 mos
30 days for > 6 mos (applicable for peak temps)
Languages?
Where? FB/Lexar scenarios
Two case studies we will talk more about this…
Languages, time zones/hours of operation…
Diff. between a call center and a contact center?
Passive/reactive vs. Proactive (proactive upsell
Analysis “Actionable Intelligence”
Social Mirroring (GoPro & tom tom nav)
… Calls vs. Social media Staffing specialists
The most neglected aspects of the supply chain…
point to a corner of the warehouse…
Entire Conferences and PhD’s on RL
Reverse Logistics Sustainability Conference…
Outgrowing existing SC in 2012
Reduce costs … very flexible
Add reveres logistics
Contact Center First, then fulfillment, web cart
, multi-currency payment processing, packaging…
MFG in Shenzhen…to global logistics hub of Fremont, CA?
Goal: Increase customer satisfaction/Reduce costs
HOW: Baseline modeling
Decided on regional postponement model
raw finished goods, trays, regional plants for final kitting and assembly
shipped directly to retail and consumers.
Result: lower assembly expenses – including inventory, labor, packaging and transportation costs
increase flexibility to better manage supply and demand….
product not waiting around for too long…inventory turns frequency
6 DC’s, three regions… HK/SG/NL/CZ US Duel Riverside, CA & Nashville, TN
Just added a 7th: Never done.
Domestic China built for GoPro (to leverage for existing - Fitbit, Lexar and future customers) – Shanghai FTZ …. No U turn in HK
Never done. Problem: Australia – at Scale
Omni Channel: ML
Visibility = better coordination and collaboration,
allowing production to be shifted
or changes made to ensure cameras were
assembled and shipped to consumers without delay.
Dynamic, real time decisions to mirror demand.
freight -75%/inventory -11%/pick, pack and ship costs -10%/
packaging capacity from +15,000 to 70,000
fulfillment +25,000 to 120,000 per day
air lift +10x times… Apple hogs capacity
Before we get into questions, I want to thank everyone for coming today. If you have a question that we don’t get to, please feel free to give me a call or send me a email…I have a stack of cards here…grab one. I’ll also be here afterward so, if you have a question 1:1