SPECIAL EDITION W I N T E R 2 014 -2 015

TERRANOVA LISE LAPOINTE

ODOTRACK MARTIN TURCOTTE

JOANEL JOHANNE BOIVIN

GEO-PLUS WILFRID BEAUPRÉ

RTI CLARO CHRISTIAN SAUVÉ

SHOW CANADA JEAN LABADIE

2014-2015 SPECIAL EDITION

INTERNATIONAL

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2014 was a year filled with numerous challenges for the International Business Centre. Most notably, our Director, Véronique Proulx, left in the spring on a well-deserved maternity leave and entrusted us with holding the fort while she was away. In all honesty, she left very large shoes to fill! I am very proud of the results obtained by the team as well as the quality and quantity of projects and interventions we have completed throughout the year. This special "Year in Review" issue allows us to look back on our accomplishments over these last months and underscore those of the companies we have collaborated with.

When perusing the following pages, you will note that Laval is an inexhaustible source of dynamic export SMEs who ignore the uncertain global economic

environment and overcome obstacles in order to succeed and shine in foreign markets. I hope that you will also notice that the International Business Centre’s team is heavily involved with helping businesses cross borders and become global leaders.

Their success and their ongoing participation in our projects and activities are our best rewards. As proud partners of your growth, it is with great pleasure that we will continue to support your projects in 2015.

Bruno Séguin, Acting Director

Deloitte Canada published in 2014 a report entitled Smart exporting for Canadian companies. The report is based on the realization that exporting is often perceived as a tool for national or provincial enrichment, whereas it is actually a way for the company to enhance its own profitability and minimize risk.

Here are a few examples from the report:

• In Canada and in the United States, exporters are more growth-oriented than non-exporters and they experience much greater growth than the latter;

• The relative productivity of Canadian manufacturing exporters outperformed that of non-exporters by approximately 30%, while in the United States, exporters’ revenue per employee is nearly double that of non-exporters in both the manufacturing sector and for service organizations;

• Various indicators throughout the world have shown that exporters have a better survival rate and greater longevity because they are less dependent on a single market;

• Generally speaking, Canadian companies that export more are also more tolerant to risk and invest more in their growth and R&D. In Canada, exporters invest twice as much in R&D as non-exporters.

In light of this, governments can play a part in encouraging and helping companies venture into exporting, but these companies must also take responsibility and take action to enter international markets because it is in their best interest to do so.

The report then goes on to provide insights into a three-stage journey to exporting:

1. THINK LIKE AN EXPORTER

2. BECOME AN EXPORTER

3. WIN AS AN EXPORTER

These steps are inspired by the success stories of different Canadian companies and they revisit the major key concepts of the exporter’s journey:

• Perform a self-diagnosis to assess whether the company is ready to begin exporting;

• Explore new markets through studies and missions in order to limit errors and maximize your chances of success;

• Invest time and resources and be creative to find and reach clients;

• Adapt your products and your offering to the needs of each market;

• Ensure a local presence in the market by setting up offices, by hiring your own representatives or by working with partners or distributors;

• Manage risk by starting gradually, by properly identifying real risk, by meeting business partners in person and by using all of the sharing and risk coverage tools available;

• Continuously reinvent yourself by investing in new technologies, by enhancing business practices and by learning from your mistakes;

• Collaborate with foreign clients and partners in order to create new opportunities, to gain new insights and to expand faster.

Deloitte concluded by saying that governments should improve awareness of existing support programs. When it comes to these, Quebec companies are fortunate, namely because they have access to regional export promotion organizations, such as the Laval Technopole International Business Centre, in every one of Quebec’s regions and these organizations are present to help them understand and discover the available resources, and to support them every step of the way.

A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR

BLOGGER’S CORNERSMART EXPORTING

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CONQUERING LARGE CORPORATIONSWith its team of 15 experienced professionals, Terranova offers solutions to private companies as well as to governmental organizations worldwide such as Fox Entertainment Group, Métro Richelieu, BRP and several others. The purpose of these online tools, designed for all employees, regardless of level or position, is to improve behaviour with respect to information security, protection of personal information, sustainable development and any other compliance needs. With online training, videos and newsletters, the tools are interactive and are aimed at raising awareness of important corporate issues in employees.

Terranova is renowned for its client-focus and product excellence. Since the programs are guided by the client’s internal policies and pertinent regulatory standards, each mandate is customized to meet the specific needs of each business.

INTERNATIONAL SCOPE, A MUSTFrom the beginning, Lise Lapointe worked toward exporting her business’ products and services internationally, with the goal of being present on every continent. After establishing sound foundations in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, the next logical step was to market in the United States. However, competition in this market is particularly fierce. With a careful and calculated strategy, the founder and her team were able to earn the trust of our southern neighbours.

TERRANOVAONE CONTINENT AT A TIMENative of Laval, Lise Lapointe founded Terranova in November 2001 after 20 years of experience in the information technology (IT) field. Terranova proposes flexible online solutions to meet the needs of corporate and organizational management.

Terranova’s success in the United States in 2007 led the way to its presence in Europe and the Middle-East in 2009, then to South America in 2014. Today, 75% of Terranova’s sales come from abroad.

This impressive expansion was possible because Terranova already offers its products and services in several languages; 20 different ones to date. "Our expertise in the technological development of products that are multilingual, multi-platform and multi-navigator allow us to establish ourselves abroad in large international corporations," emphasizes Lise Lapointe. She also

notes the importance of keeping the focus and not branching out too quickly. "There is no reason not to break into a particular market, as long as the expansion is done rigorously and with reliable partners," she concluded.

The International Business Centre was of particular help to the Laval company during the past few years, most notably during a commercial mission to Germany in 2012. The International Business Centre provided support with several market analyses, and organized meetings as well as facilitated exchanges with key players in this European country. Their support allowed Lise Lapointe and her team to accelerate the process of strategically integrating

into this new market. Even today, the International Business Centre is a partner of Terranova for improving and implementing sales strategies for trade fairs as well as the development and financing of its international marketing plan. In the context of its VIP partnering program, the International Business Centre helped the business develop a support program for international distributors.

In the coming years, Terranova will be able to count on the talented members of its team to develop leading-edge products, consolidate its network of international partners

“FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO WORK WITH INTERNATIONALLY IS THE KEY!”

Lise Lapointe, President

and therefore continue to develop new markets. In fact, the founder’s next goal is to conquer Asia. This Quebec business has definitely not finished shining on the world stage!

TO FIND OUT MORE www.terranovatraining.com

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RTI Claro, which counts more than 300 employees now, specializes in the manufacture, assembly and finishing of aluminium and titanium components destined for the aerospace and transport industries. It is considered to be an important player in Quebec’s aerospace sector. Having achieved an impressive growth since 2009, including an increase of 150% in sales revenue in the last two years, RTI Claro now wishes to expand its leadership on the world stage.

PEER RECOGNITION

The manufacturer’s expertise is in structural parts for aircraft as well as mechanical and electromechanical sub-assemblies, such as flight controls and flight deck consoles. In order to deliver turnkey products directly to clients, RTI Claro acquired its own line of surface treatments in 2007 so that it could paint and finish parts directly in its ultramodern installations.

RTI Claro is not shy about making major investments for the continual improvement of its products and

“DEVELOPING MORE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS ESTABLISHES MUTUAL CONFIDENCE WHEN DOING BUSINESS INTERNATIONALLY.”

processes in order to establish its leadership with major clients. Wishing to rely on its operational excellence, RTI Claro put forth every effort in the past few years to achieve MACH 4 certification, a program which aims at optimizing Quebec aerospace supply chain performance in order to increase its competitiveness on the international scene. This recognition allows the Laval manufacturer to access new business opportunities and enjoy a greater international visibility.

RTI CLAROREADY TO TAKE OFFThe parts manufacturer Claro Précision has come a long way since its foundation in 1966 in St-Leonard. Acquired in 2004 by one of the largest producers of titanium in the world, RTI International Metals, the business moved its operations to Laval in 2007 in a brand-new facility. This is how the subsidiary RTI Claro was born, today under the control of Christian Sauvé, Vice President and General Manager.

WHEN QUEBEC TAKES OFFThe business’ clients come from the aerospace and transport industries around the world. "We can even affirm that 90% of what we manufacture is exported," says Christian Sauvé. RTI Claro has targeted the countries of the United States, Japan, Mexico and China for several years already. In fact, export to these countries began between 2007 and 2010, for clients such as Boeing and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. "In order to succeed, it is essential to study the target markets closely by evaluating, among other

things, the competition and the commercial environment. It is also necessary to ensure we offer the highest quality products and that local clients are satisfied before taking off," he concludes.

The International Business Centre has been an important ally in this expansion. Most notably, it has helped the RTI Claro team acquire important information and knowledge through training, seminars and conferences. A better understanding of technical concepts of international commerce such as Incoterms (contraction of International commercial terms, which defines the obligations and duties of buyers and vendors participating in national and international trade) greatly simplified commercial activities outside of Canada.

In the future, RTI Claro wishes to increase its presence in Europe and South America. Christian Sauvé will continue to implement solid bases to prepare for take-off in these new markets.

TO FIND OUT MORE www.rtiintl.com

Christian Sauvé, Vice President and General Manager

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Established in Laval in 1999 and headquartered in a green facility since 2007, which is heated and cooled by means of geothermal energy, it proposes quality products unique in terms of designs of style and function. Possessing the trademarks Joanel, Ugo Santini, Mouflon and Edgar & Sooky, Johanne Boivin has achieved the status of trendsetter by creating her own style. Her men’s and women’s collections include handbags, change purses and wallets, various bags, including some for pets, as well as a wide variety of accessories made of leather or synthetic materials.

Well-rooted in Canada and the United States, the Joanel team is currently beginning development in Columbia as an entry point to the South American market. The business works in close collaboration with the International Business Centre

to guide this expansion and for support. "Being surrounded by Laval Technopole’s advisers is a worthwhile privilege," affirms Johanne Boivin. In fact, the support offered by the International Business Centre allowed the business to access economic and cultural data which helped them to better grasp the target market and thereby facilitated its development. This knowledge and guidance played an important role in gaining the necessary confidence for establishing themselves in unknown territory. These are rather sizeable advantages when the ambition of the founder extends beyond borders!

TO FIND OUT MORE www.joanel.ca

With his team, he designs and develops solutions for data processing and management for surveyors, civil engineers, chartered appraisers and other professionals in the field of territory management.

Composed of roughly fifteen professionals, Geo-Plus offers customized turnkey solutions in order to meet the specific needs of each of its clients. Furthermore, the business devotes more than 20% of its efforts

Johanne Boivin, President

Wilfrid Beaupré, President

JOANEL INC. WHEN THE WORLD BECKONSIt was in 1991 that Johanne Boivin dove into the world of business when she launched JOANEL INC., which today, is one of the most important creators of fashion accessories and leather goods in Quebec.

GEO-PLUS A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE LAY OF THE LANDDesigned to facilitate the work and increase the productivity of businesses working with geomatics technologies, Geo-Plus was founded in 1987 by Wilfrid Beaupré.

to research and development in order to maintain its technological lead over its competitors.

Over the past four years, Geo-Plus exports its innovations to several countries in Europe, Asia and North America. Wilfrid Beaupré’s goals are to expand its activities to more than 30 countries within the next year. He states, "It is thanks to commercial missions undertaken with the International Business Centre that we have succeeded in, among other things, establishing good contacts for distributing our software in France, for example." This support has helped him to adapt to different cultures in matters of business development and eventual partnerships.

In all of its activities, both in Canada and abroad, Geo-Plus operates according to the same priorities that have ensured its success in the past 27 years: offer incomparable quality solutions and the best after-sales service available on the market.

TO FIND OUT MORE www.geo-plus.com

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In fact, over 80% of the company’s sales are generated abroad. The Laval company gained recognition namely for its technical prowess during the Olympic Games ceremonies in Vancouver, London and Sochi.

Since 2012, Show Canada has been preparing to break onto the Asian stage. In December 2014, operations will begin at the new Show Canada (China) Ltd 11,000 m2 facility, located in the Daxing industrial district of Beijing. Essentially, this facility will serve the Chinese market where the performance arts industry is booming right now. Far from hindering its operations at the Laval workshop, the new Chinese facility will enable it to operate at full throttle to serve all of its other geographical markets. Entering the Chinese market will also facilitate the expansion of its design, engineering and project management departments as these will remain at the company’s headquarters.

Doing business in different countries can prove to be complex for an SME, which is why Show Canada does not hesitate to call on the International

SHOW CANADASHINING ON AN ALWAYS BIGGER STAGEFounded in 1999 by Jean Labadie, Show Canada now boasts over 120 permanent employees and operates worldwide, having shipped over 800 large and small projects from their Laval workshops to the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Business Centre for any questions or concerns that may arise during overseas projects.

TO FIND OUT MORE www.show-canada.com

Thanks to the support of the IT genius Alexandre Faucher, Odotrack was born in 2008 with the mission of offering technological tools for mileage logbooks and for managing automobile fleets. Since then, the Laval business was able to obtain support from important partners such as Jean-François Thuot of the firm Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, tax specialist Josée Jeffrey and the "Centre québécois de formation en fiscalité" – the Quebec Centre for training in tax accounting. Designed to facilitate the work of sales representatives, businesses and self-employed workers, the tools are presented as numerical applications or electronic devices which create a registry of travel thanks to GPS tracking. All pertinent data is compiled automatically (number of kilometres, personal or business travel, date, etc.).

Shortly after its launch, Odotrack began conquering new markets: western Canada in 2009, the United States in 2010 and France in 2011. Thanks to the International Business Centre, it was able to adapt the commercialization of its products and services according to the targeted markets. The Odotrack team took part in three commercial missions in the last year enabling them to accelerate their expansion process and further develop its international business plan.

Proof that surrounding oneself with important collaborators such as the Laval Technopole International Business Centre is always synonymous with success!

TO FIND OUT MORE www.odotrack.ca

ODOTRACK INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION, ONE KILOMETRE AT A TIMEIt was during an audit that Martin Turcotte got the idea for commercializing solutions to facilitate the management of business travel.

Martin Turcotte, President

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“IN TOTAL, WE ESTIMATE THAT ROUGHLY 600 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED IN OUR ACTIVITIES.”

2014 IN REVIEWTWELVE PRODUCTIVE MONTHS

As a regional organization for the promotion of export, the mandate of Laval Technopole’s International Business Centre is to help Laval SMEs increase their sales and perform better on the international scene. In order to do so, we organize training activities, conferences and customized commercial missions abroad. We also offer consulting services as well as assistance and partnership programs to facilitate the execution of international development strategies.

In 2014, we were very active in these various areas. In addition, we provided several training sessions on topics such as Managing Risks and Change, Strategic Marketing and International Trade Fairs. We also organized large conferences such as "Let’s Talk Exports" with EDC’s Chief Economist, Peter Hall, and a seminar on a Canada-E.U. comprehensive economic and trade agreement with Pierre-Marc Johnson and a panel of experts gathered by the Export Québec team.

Five MercadOr awards were presented at our Welcome Cocktail Party in early October by the International Business Centre and its partners to Laval export businesses who distinguished themselves on the international market.

On top of these learning experiences and testimonies, we brought 11 businesses on prospecting missions to Vancouver, British Columbia, to Lyon, France as well as to South America, specifically Columbia and Peru. Simultaneously, we performed close to 200 business interventions: targeted support on questions relating to export, international business plans, search for distributors, analysis and prioritization of international markets, international diagnostics, etc.

Finally, as part of the VIP program, we worked closely with eight companies to implement their international action plan. Some of those businesses appear in this newsletter.

In total, we estimate that roughly 600 people participated in our activities and close to one hundred businesses profited from our consulting services. Thanks to all of you for your confidence and loyalty.

The LAVAL TECHNOPOLE International Business Centrereceives financial support from:

Member of :

Sylvie GauthierDirector, Marketing and Communication

Claire MonteilSenior Advisor, Marketing and Communication

Winter 2014-2015

INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY: LAVAL TECHNOPOLE

1555 Chomedey Boulevard, Suite 100 Laval, Quebec, H7V 3Z1

Telephone: 450 978-5959Fax: 450 978-5970

info@lavaltechnopole.com www.lavaltechnopole.com/ltibc

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