I was amused to read a news item in the last Saturday issue of our local newspaper. Seppo Keränen of FinPro, Chief of the Indian Marketing Centre, was talking about why it was important to enter the Indian market.
There are presently 50 Finnish companies operating in India.
There were over 50 Swedish companies operating in India in 1992!
14 years ago, Finpro was one of the organisations that thought that my pushing India as a hot spot for Finnish industry was not much of an idea!
In the introductory letter, that I wrote in May 1992 for the organisation Findians Oy, just to companies in the Technology Village in Oulu, I said:
"This is the first circular letter from Findians Oy. It hopefully brings you interesting and informative news. We have enclosed the latest Corporate Notes from a leading Indian weekly called "The WEEK" dated 10th May 1992. Amongst other items it shows that Motorola is going into India with a bang. The metro cities in India, each with a population more than 2 times that of Finland, are very interesting to these multinationals - and also possibly your company......."
the Oulu Technology Village
Introductory Letter
Within just a few days of my sending out these 100 or so copies of this letter, the visionary Managing Director of the Technology Village, Pertti Huskonen, wrote to Findians saying:
"I was very delighted to have your first circular letter some days ago in my hands. It's evident that this location here in Oulu Technology Park is a good place for you - and it's clear that you can help our companies a lot! All the best for you and Findians!
Oulu Technolpolis Ltd.
Pertti H 19.5.1992"
It was this introductory letter and the general response that I received from a few of the companies in the Technology Village that prompted the launch of "Findians Briefings" as a monthly newsletter.
The free 8 page Volume 1 Number 1 was a great hit from the very first issue.
Before we knew it we were printing and sending out over 7000 copies worldwide - and that was a financial disaster for us.
So we converted the paper version into the popular web briefings with free access and no advertisements.
The readership sky-rocketed up to 120000.
But Finnish industry remained sceptical.
Although we did take out some Finnish companies to India, the general opinion remained that it was not the right place for business.
Finnish industrialists and managers were wrong. The world passed them by.
Now it is a game of catch up, and being behind means that the real cream of the opportunities may have been lost.
But there are still hundreds and thousands of new opportunities, if there is true understanding of how to approach operating in India.
In one meeting in 1993, where Annikki and I were explaining about India to a group of young entrepreneurs of Oulu, which had been organised by Raimo Kuismin of Acta Systems Oy, a manager of a Finnish multinational, Rautarukki Oy, explained how the whole process of getting to an acceptable situation in India could take as much as 5 to 8 years.
I explained that with the right contacts, this process could be down to less than a year!
14 years down the lane, Seppo Keränen is certainly right to tell Finnish industries to deal with people directly rather than through agents who are trying to make a quick buck from both ends.
But to find the right companies would still require someone with a depth of knowledge about that enormous country - a rare breed in Finland.
Thank God that I am retired from this rat race!
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