Francisco Carlos Pérez Martínez, manager of NBIOL, explains to us in this interview what this program consists of.
Nbiol Development is a company specialized in organic farming, member of the Association of Importers and Exporters of Albacete (ADIEX) and FEDA. Qualified professionals, the commitment to R+D+i and the manufacture of quality products are the fundamental pillars on which its activity is based.
Former participants in the Sherpa Program of the Confederation of Employers of Albacete (FEDA), now Nbiol Development has been selected in the Internationalization Program for SMEs 'ICEX Next 2022' of the Institute of Foreign Trade (ICEX). To learn a little more about this program, we spoke with Francisco Carlos Pérez Martínez, manager of Nbiol.
QUESTION: What does it mean for Nbiol to be accepted into the ICEX Next Program?
ANSWER: “Nbiol is a company focused on exports, mainly to China and some other countries. But with the pandemic we have remained a bit stagnant, all exports stopped and that was when we decided to open new markets and bet on the help of ICEX. To enter this ICEX Next Program we passed numerous evaluations and had an external advisor evaluate our company. Today, we believe that opening new markets is essential for the survival of the company, due to the global crisis of the coronavirus and now the war in Ukraine. Before we only bet on one (China) and it has half fallen, although now we believe that we are going to resume it, but we have to go to many countries... and without the help of ICEX it is practically impossible”.
Q.: You have been the second most valued company in Castilla-La Mancha to enter this program...
A.: “Yes, that's right. We are thousandths from the first. In the end, there are a hundred companies from all over Spain that join the ICEX Next Program each year and the truth is that we are very happy. We are a company that is very committed to R&D. We have fertilizer and agricultural products that are developed with our own technology and we stand out in the market because no one else has those products that have taken us ten years to develop. For our qualification of access to the program they have valued the economic stability of the company, the experience, our commitment to technology, to innovation, with differentiated products and that we are XNUMX% involved in the company's internationalization project”.
Q.: And once inside the ICEX Next Program. What are the next steps?
A.: “Now we have to draw up a business plan together with an external adviser and we are going to develop the best market niches for our products. Once we have the export plan, ICEX will help us to make the first sales in the countries we choose, with the help of this external advisor specialized in the sector”.
Q.: So your objective is to open new markets thanks to this ICEX Next Program?
A.: “The objective is to open new markets and that these markets, in the face of a crisis, do not force the closure of the company. That we have diversified points of sale so that when one falls, we continue to have other countries in which to grow. We want to grow with the help of ICEX, because this ICEX Next Program puts you in a group of companies that provide you with many services, such as advice, offices in other countries, aid... because they put the entire ICEX structure at your disposal.
Q.: Accompaniment at all times…
A.: “We have noticed that alone it is impossible, we have tried and we have not succeeded. Now, thanks to them, we are advancing much faster, because in many cases logistical help is more important than economic aid”.
Q.: Nbiol is associated with ADIEX. How do you see the work that has been carried out by the association?
A.: “The people in charge of FEDA and ADIEX resolve any query, you have professionals at your disposal… it's like a centralized office. And all of this helps small businesses a lot because otherwise we wouldn't know where to turn. In training and advice on any subject, they solve it very quickly. Everything that has to do with training SMEs must be valued very well, because without this training we cannot carry out our activity. Combining training with our daily work is very difficult and at ADIEX they make it easy for us”.
