Following is a selection of recent market research reports prepared by the foreign offices of the U.S. Commercial Service. Please click on the links below to access each report. To search for additional reports, please go to www.export.gov/mrktresearch. Access is free for U.S. companies and persons, but you may need to register for a username and password.

Compiled by the Milwaukee Export Assistance Center. Last update: 02/06/2012

Provincial Procurement in Ontario

Ontario provincial procurement contracts are a $15 to $20 billion dollar a year sector. Procurement contracts offer U.S. businesses a wide range of opportunities to expand their export sales in everything from power plants to office supplies. Professionals in the field say the sector is still largely untapped by U.S. companies. This report covers opportunities for U.S. exporters within Ontario’s provincial government procurement process.

http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_1296268.pdf

Chile: Solar Energy Industry

Renewable energy is becoming an important component of Chile's energy matrix. The north of Chile has some of the highest solar radiation in the world. Current and future legislation is encouraging the participation of renewable technology in the overall energy mix. These opportunities are expected to be attractive in the field of Non-Conventional Renewable Energy (NCRE) because of the gap that the power generation industry will have to overcome in order to comply with the goals imposed by Chilean legislation. This legislation mandates that 5% of power generation output has to come from NCRE by 2014. By 2024, the NCRE contribution must be 10%. Currently, less than 3% of the energy generated comes from renewable energy sources.

http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_4585841.pdf

Do-It-Yourself Products in Germany

Germany’s DIY market is the biggest in Europe, followed by France and the U.K. In 2010, total sales for the German DIY industry across all distribution venues amounted to over 42 billion euros. The DIY market is likely to profit from the gradual recovery of the construction industry, overall economic growth, and a positive development in consumer spending. This report provides a market overview, data on product segments, and information on the main players in the market and market access issues.

http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_9098828.pdf

South Korea: Wind Power Industry

Korea is the world’s 10th largest energy consumer with virtually no domestic energy sources of its own. It imports 97% of its energy resources, and is currently the 6th largest oil importer in the world. To reduce its heavy dependency on foreign fossil fuels, the Republic of Korea Government has launched a series of initiatives to promote the domestic development and use of new and renewable energies. The wind power industry, especially offshore, is growing at a fast rate thanks to Korea’s fully developed steel industry and open access to ocean wind. Boosted by the government initiatives, Korean industry is increasing investment in wind farm construction, product manufacturing, and research and development. Though the overarching goal is to support production of Korean-made technologies, the U.S. Commercial Service continues to see imports of advanced technologies, providing good business opportunities for U.S. wind power companies.

http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_8844629.pdf

Mercosur Tariff Rates Set to Increase on 100 Products

At the request of Argentina and Brazil, on December 20, 2011, MERCOSUR -- the South American trading bloc that includes Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay -- authorized member countries to raise tariffs on 100 products above the commonly applied external tariff rate (CET) up to the WTO bound rate of 35 percent. The new tariffs will go into effect after publication of the product list, and will remain in effect until December 2014. Each MERCOSUR member country will have the discretion to determine its own list of 100 products to be included in the rate increase. Currently, import tariffs range from zero to 35 percent with an average of 11%. For imports from the United States, the average tariff rate is 16%.

http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_706946.pdf

Russia’s Oil and Gas Industry: Opportunities for U.S. Equipment Manufacturers

Russia has more proven natural gas reserves than any other country, is among the top ten in proven oil reserves, and is the largest exporter of natural gas and oil. Sales from the oil and gas industry account for over a third of Russian federal budget revenues, and oil and gas production remains one of the leading sectors of the Russian economy. Lately, a strong emphasis has been placed on the necessity to develop the Russian oil and gas refining and petrochemical industry. This report describes the Russian market for equipment in the oil and gas industry, current trends, and opportunities for U.S. equipment manufacturers.

http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_3936959.pdf

Finland: Medical Industry Overview

High quality and technically sophisticated medical equipment has market potential in Finland. The United States has a 28 percent share of the total market. Other important external supplier countries are Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and China. Finland also produces high technology medical equipment of its own. The total market size for medical equipment is estimated at $910 million in 2011 by the Finnish Health Technology Association, of which an estimated $1.5 billion is supplied by local production. The operating costs of Finnish hospitals have been reduced and major hospital procurement consists mainly in replacing older equipment. However, investment in new medical equipment within the private healthcare sector is expected to continue.

http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_3181912.pdf

Colombia: Agricultural Equipment and Chemicals

In spite of sluggish growth in Colombian agricultural production, niche opportunities exist for U.S. exporters of certain types of agricultural machinery and chemicals, especially in business areas which are in need of innovation and technology upgrades. Cattle ranching generates over half the country’s agricultural income. Dairy products, fruit, grain, poultry farming, and vegetables combined generate another 40 percent, and the balance comes from forestry and fishing.

http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_1683161.pdf

Provided by the Milwaukee Export Assistance Center. Last update: 2/6/2012