CAMAL opens office in Shenzhen to serve growing Africa demand

CAMAL Group loading cargo in Guangzhou, China for our client in Ivory Coast.

CAMAL opens an office in Shenzhen as we continue to improve our services for our Clients. The Office will give access to Guangdong province especially, Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhuhai and environs. Shenzhen is a transport hub in China as it has one of the best modern ports in the Country Shenzhen being one of the most fast growing cities in China, there are many opportunities which CAMAL has identified and delegated them to the new office. The port will see to it that;

  • CAMAL clients will see improved lead time due to the efficiency of port activities in Shenzhen.
  • The goods imported from China through CAMAL get to the clients in good shape because of the improved modern way of handling containers.
  • There is smooth loading of cargo to client’s destination.

Port of Shenzhen consists of facilities in the following areas: Da Chan Bay, Shekou, Chiwan, Mawan, Yantian, Dongjiaotou, Fuyong, Xiadong, Shayuchong and Neihe this means that the loading of any cargo procured from the mentioned places will get to the port in due time.

CAMAL has been doing business in China for a long time; the firm understands the distribution of manufacturers and suppliers in different parts of China. From Shenzhen office, CAMAL will be able to help clients procure from the following cities,

  • Guangdong Zhongshan: Machinery and electronics, Packaging, Lighting,
  • Dongguan: Electronic products
  • Guangzhou: Automobile
  • Shenzhen: Electronic products
  • Yunfu: Stone, Kitchenware

The advantage of using Shenzhen office for your procurement purpose include:

  • CAMAL has a technical team which has lived in China and they have deeper understanding of products in this part of China.
  • CAMAL will do the negotiation on your behalf so there will be no language barrier between you and the supplier.
  • CAMAL will help you inspect the cargo before it is shipped to ensure you have the right products.

The firm will also ensure that the clients who have interests in technology are best served by the institutions which have specialized in that field. CAMAL has seen the need to be part of the firms pushing for advancement in technology because this is the only way firms out there will focus on cost cutting at the same time being efficient in production. Shenzhen office is  also connected to a chain of construction machinery suppliers i.e. the yellow machines and also construction materials i.e. tiles, prefabs and many more.

Other than assisting the clients to procure from Shenzhen and other cities in China, Shenzhen office will assist it’s the client to carry out successful trips to the supplier. These trips are aimed at assisting the client to meet the service provider and understand how the business can cut cost by procuring from China.

Shenzhen Port. Picture Courtesy of Wikipedia

Shenzhen office will be headed by CAMAL’s head of Operations Mr. Razack Magagi. Feel free to reach out for  by writing to shenzhen@camaltd.com

If you are looking for a China sourcing agent or need assistance finding sourcing agents in China, please do contact us and we may be able to help you or point you in the right direction.

KNCCI Marsabit County gets investors from China courtesy of CAMAL

CAMAL recently organised a trip to China for KNCCI Marsabit Chamber where the delegates had special interests in getting investors and also meeting suppliers. The 5 days trip was aimed at value addition to the Chamber and the office in China delivered beyond expectation.

CAMAL facilitated- KNCCI Marsabit and Guangdong Chamber of Commerce, B2B meeting with Chinese investors. The firm witnessed Signing of an MOU, exploring business cooperation and investment areas in Marsabit County. The talks held were aimed at identifying potential business opportunities from Marsabit

KNCCI Marsabit signing MOU with Chinese investors courtesy of CAMAL

 

The Chamber also had some interest in meeting construction material suppliers in China. CAMAL took the delegates to a company where they showed special interest in procurement of construction materials such as tiles, prefabs materials etc.

 

KNCCI Marsabit meeting with Chinese construction, energy and building materials companies.CAMAL also took KNCCI Marsabit to visit Solar panel factory. The Chamber had requested CAMAL to facilitate this meeting as they had a project which involved solar energy and they wanted to know where they can get them from. The meeting was successful with the supplier promising to work with CAMAL to deliver high quality products to the Marsabit County as soon as the order is placed.

KNCCI Marsabit Visit to Solar Panel factory in China courtesy of CAMAL

CAMAL will continue to organise such trips for the client to understand better opportunities and how CAMAL can assist them to procure from China after or during the trip. CAMAL’s value addition include;

  1. Identification of reliable suppliers for our clients;
  2. Carrying out factory due diligence  on behalf of the Client;
  3. Engaging with the potential investors;
  4. Advising the Client on how to procure Products from China;
  5. Facilitating preliminary discussions by having an interpreter who understands Chinese and English well to get rid of language barrier.

CAMAL attends the China International Import expo (CIIE)

It is a significant move for the Chinese government to hold CIIE to give firm support to trade liberalization and economic globalization and actively open the Chinese market to the world. It facilitates countries and regions all over the world to strengthen economic cooperation and trade, and to promote global trade and world economic growth in order to make the world economy more open.

CAMAL attending China International Import Expo

 

Countries around the globe have been pushing for Balance of Trade. CAMAL has been attending forums which are aimed at trade improvement with China. CAMAL is currently attending the first CIIE in Shanghai China with a goal to solve Export problems to China. President Xi Jingping opened the event and gave a keynote speech with main points being:

  • China will  ease barriers for the following industries

Financial services, Agriculture, Mining and Education

  • China will Increase purchase of Imported goods by lowering the tariffs involved
  • China will create a better business environment with reasonable system of rules including punishing intellectual property violators. China would work to protect the interests of foreign companies.
  • China will import as much as $30 trillion in goods and $10 trillion in services within the next 15 years.
  • China intends to make Shanghai the world’s leading financial centers by the year 2020

The event has had thousands of companies attending from various countries. Kenya being one of the countries, there is a national exhibition going on with an aim of winning more market for the Kenyan products i.e. coffee.

Kenya showcasing products and services in Shanghai during CIIE

From this event, CAMAL intends to assist more people to export to China. The firm has deep understanding of demand cycles in China. CAMAL will therefore find the right market for products in China. CAMAL will also add value to the exporters to China by doing the negotiation on the clients behalf.

CAMAL’s Managing Director attending to a client in Shanghai during CIIE

 

What Will the US-China Trade War Mean for Africa?

Ethiopia’s economy is in a period of transition; much has been privatized, but major sectors remain under government control, such as financial services and telecommunications.  Alemu sees the trade war as an incentive to continue economic reforms: “[I]t is the moment of truth for Ethiopia to rethink its trade practices and become a full participant of international and global trade to benefit from [the] U.S.-China trade war.”

On the other hand, a leading authority in Nigeria, Africa’s largest country by population, finds opportunity for his country as a result of the trade war.

If one casts the trade war as simply a confrontation between the world’s two largest economies, then the trade war “would impact the global economy negatively,” Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry Muda Yusuf told This Day Live.

But, he continues, out of this comes a positive opportunity for Nigeria.

Increased tariffs on Chinese goods going into the United States “will create supply gaps in the U.S. market.” In other words, exports from other countries become “more competitive” thanks to the tariffs on China. Yusuf sees this as an advantage favoring Nigeria.

“Within the context of the African Growth and Opportunities Act [AGOA], this situation presents new opportunities for Nigerian export in the United States market,” Yusuf says.  It remains for Nigeria to position itself to take advantage of the opening.

According to the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), AGOA is a “unilateral scheme of preferences dating back to 2000, and has served as the bedrock of trade relations between the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa. It grants eligible African countries duty-free access to the US markets for thousands of products.” The law is currently extended to 2025.

By utilizing AGOA mechanisms to fill the partial vacuum that may be created as a result of slowing exports from China to the United States, Nigeria (in Yusuf’s case) and dozens of other sub-Saharan countries could take advantage of the U.S.-China trade war in areas where they have the ability to produce competing goods.

In addition, Chinese investors themselves may look for “alternative destinations” for their own investments, in order to circumvent tariffs on goods originating from China.  That, of course, depends on the quality of the investment environment that Nigeria can provide.

An executive from the Hong Kong-based Standard Chartered Bank also sees opportunities for African countries opening up in the Chinese market. As Reuters put it, summarizing Carmen Ling, Managing Director and Global Head of RMB Solutions, “China is likely to boost imports from African countries as it seeks new sources of commodities in the wake of a trade war with the United States.”

“We believe that countries like Kenya and Nigeria will benefit because China will look to import more from Africa; some agricultural products from Kenya, some oil products from Nigeria,” Ling predicted.

Suggesting a longer-term effect of the trade war, Ling added, “Trade flow patterns will change because China will need to look for new trade partners.”

Even in this small sample, it’s clear that African analysts see a mixture of harm and opportunity coming their way as the result of the trade war between the United States and China. Harm comes from the potential of China dumping cheap products into domestic African markets, and concerns over the possibility of reduced export opportunities to China due to soft demand. But there is also optimism about opportunities to fill the exports gap to the United States, and even to fill some commodities export gaps left by the United States in China itself.

But perhaps the most lasting positive consequence of this trade war could be to energize African policymakers and stakeholders to redouble efforts at economic reform, as Ethiopia’s Alemu suggested. The trade war may provide African countries with even greater incentives to reduce dependence on major country investments and aid, and to create investment environments that allow countries like Uganda, Nigeria, and Ethiopia to become part of the global supply chain on their own terms, rather than on the terms of others with differing and even conflicting long-term interests.

To complete reading this article please visit the original page The Diplomat

 

CAMAL-end to end procurement solutions.

  • CAMAL has continued to assist clients from various parts of world to source from China. The firm understands  every business is striving to cut on cost during its procurement cycle without going for low quality products. CAMAL is a solution finding firm for such businesses.
  • CAMAL has built relationships with the manufacturers in China and has the ability to find you the best suppliers in China. Recently, CAMAL conducted a factory visit in Shanghai to inspect the quality of the product before shipping them to the client. This was for a client who procured weighing equipment  in bulk for supermarkets.

CAMAL– Inspecting the cargo before shipping

  • CAMAL has rich experience in procurement. The firm has technical experts who understand Client expectation. The engineers in China will ensure the client get what our client ordered. CAMAL often co-operates with international third party inspection agencies such as SGS to ensure the factory is competent in production.
CAMAL- Confirming product before loading
  • CAMAL also offers advice on the best loading ports when procuring from China. CAMAL has done successful shipping from China, this puts CAMAL in a better position to advice the client the best port to use depending on the nature of the products being shipped.

Are looking for a China sourcing agent or need help finding sourcing agents in China, please contact us and we may be able to help you or point you in the right direction.

Standard Bank Yiwu Trade Visit by CAMAL

CAMAL cooperated with the largest bank in Africa, Standard Bank to organise a tour of Yiwu district in Zhejiang province of China for various African traders. The sourcing trip included procurement of various products such as equipment, electronics, furniture and many more. CAMAL  also conducted factory visits in Wangbin Co. Ltd, which manufactures furniture and Sumsoar which handles logistics for various local exporters. The main agenda  of this particular trip was to have clients introduce clients to sourcing from China through actual engagement with the local factories.

CAMAL team and guests during a meeting at one of the suppliers near Yiwu

CAMAL has  always aimed to consistently add value to our clients and for this reason,  the firm  co-operated with Standard Bank visit various districts of their interest. The key reasons of visiting various districts were;

  • To identify the prevailing opportunities in China
  • To understand the terms of business in China
  • To vet the quality and prices of the products.
  • To get a diverse investment plan

CAMAL continues to organize these trips for associations and companies who wants to meet the original suppliers. This is one among many successful trips which CAMAL has been part of. CAMAL has also done successful trips for the following fields,

  • Construction materials i.e. tiles
  • Capital machines i.e. wheel loaders, dump trucks
  • Industrial Chemicals
  • steel
CAMAL -supplier visit

The advantages of using CAMAL for such trips include

  • CAMAL understands China and the  economy well so the firm will advice on the best quality and original product.
  • CAMAL has done many trips  successfully  for many associations and companies, it will only get  better for you.
  • CAMAL’s China office will do the negotiation for you with the Chinese manufacturers because. The team speaks Chinese fluent so language barrier will not be a problem to CAMAL’s client during trip.
  • CAMAL has does due diligence for the companies the client wants to visit, this ensures the client’s expectations are met by linking them with the best suppliers in China.

Looking for an efficient China sourcing agent or need help finding sourcing agents in China, please contact us and we may be able to help you or point you in the right direction.