At Gazelle.ai, we know the importance of providing quality global importer data when building prospect lists for outreach campaigns. As an Economic Development Organization (EDO), knowing the global supply chain can help identify unique opportunities for finding top international prospects. Here is a step-by-step guide on identifying your region's leading importers and keeping a pulse on the growth of companies in your area.
Step 1: Click on Importer
You can see we have over 129,000 importers identified on the platform.
Let’s take the example of an economic development organization in North Carolina.
Let’s take a closer look at Some of their local importers and specifically look for importers with increased TEU volume. The twenty-foot equivalent unit (abbreviated TEU or teu) is a calculation of the various container sizes into a standard unit of containers. Containers are 20, 40 or 45 feet, so the TEU allows ports and the maritime community to measure shipment volumes accurately. For example, if a Bill of Lading says the container is a 40 footer, the TEU count is 2 TEUs.
Let’s look at the company Albemarle - a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of engineered chemicals.
By looking closer at their TEUs volume, you can see that their top suppliers and trade partners include some of their divisions in the Netherlands, Korea, Japan and Belgium and suppliers in China, specifically Shandong Qilu Huaxin Hightech, Molibdenos Y Metales in Mali and Chemada Industries in Israel.
Upon close observation of US manufacturing, distribution and foreign supply chains, there is a pattern of FDI. International firms seek to garner US market shares by initially selling into the US market, then expanding into distribution and ultimately assembling imported components.
Furthermore, successful domestic manufacturing companies rely on Just-In-Time (JIT) delivery as essential in modern supply chain management. TIER 1 and 2 suppliers dominate the landscape, so these suppliers need to be close to their customers and therefore represent ideal candidates for FDI.
This analysis could trigger a conversation with the local representatives of Albemarle and reach their top suppliers to discuss Foreign Trade Zone opportunities for assembly or other expansion opportunities.
Feel free to reach out to a customer success team member if you have any questions or concerns through our chat or via email at gazellehelp@lightcast.io.
Happy Gazelle-ing!