Need Contacts In The Petrochemical And Related Industries In Myanmar

[p_brownstone]

My Company in Thailand is the Exclusive Distributor for a wide range of equipment for the Petrochemical and related Industries at Refinery / Loading Terminal level - many of these Products are Industry Standard here in Thailand.

I am now looking to expand the business into Myanmar and would appreciate any Links to potential Customers or perhaps to a Company Distributing equipment to these Industries who may be interested in Representing us.

Patrick

[householder]

Are you attending the trillion and one expensive conferences that are happening all the time here? What about a scoping visit and attending the various networking events (you won't get much out of them but you'll at least get some indications and some points in the right direction)?

[DagonKhan]

Are you attending the trillion and one expensive conferences that are happening all the time here? What about a scoping visit and attending the various networking events (you won't get much out of them but you'll at least get some indications and some points in the right direction)?

Those conferences are largely a waste of time, especially the ones organised with the UMFCCI. I've been a member of the UMFCCI for nearly 20 years now and I've never been invited by them to meet people interested in meeting people like me. What they do very well however, is introduce you to their committee who just happen to be businessmen who can do every business known to man.... Seriously, that's the way it works here, nothing has changed on that front. If you want to meet people, you need to get on a plane and actually come over.

To p-brownstone; To the best of my knowledge all of that is state owned. You really need to be making a trip to Naypyitaw and speaking to the Ministry direct. It is more than likely that they will push you towards a certain Company that they have 'unofficial' links to, if you catch my meaning.

[householder]

Those conferences are largely a waste of time, especially the ones organised with the UMFCCI. I've been a member of the UMFCCI for nearly 20 years now and I've never been invited by them to meet people interested in meeting people like me. What they do very well however, is introduce you to their committee who just happen to be businessmen who can do every business known to man.... Seriously, that's the way it works here, nothing has changed on that front. If you want to meet people, you need to get on a plane and actually come over.

Endless source of material for the international press to peddle and hype up as 'a flood of foreign investors coming to Myanmar' blah blah blah...

[DagonKhan]

Endless source of material for the international press to peddle and hype up as 'a flood of foreign investors coming to Myanmar' blah blah blah...

Yep!

I've lost count of the 'flood of foreign investors' who run for airport once they realise what doing business here entails, costs, corruption, the list is endless. The media with all the BS they print have a lot to answer for.

[tombkk]

No, the conferences are not a waste of time if you use them correctly:

1.) Listen to the speeches and learn. You will find that one speaker will inadvertently contradict the previous speaker, but that's Myanmar. No, he didn't know the previous speech, the contradiction was not on purpose. But it will give you a feeling why you get different answers form different people, and it takes a way to "feel" your way around.

2.) The people I target in the networking events are not the officials (but I politely say hello). I meet foreign business people who are usually friendly and can give a lot of advice from experience, and other delegates who might have found out things that I still didn't know.

Some of those people may have met someone in your target industry, even though he wasn't interested himself. They can pass that contact on to you as a sales lead.

Of course, this is only my personal experience, and your mileage may differ.

[DagonKhan]

Of course, this is only my personal experience, and your mileage may differ.

It does differ, considerably. But then I have no idea what it is you're doing in Myanmar so it's kind of hard to comment.

[tombkk]

Of course, this is only my personal experience, and your mileage may differ.

It does differ, considerably. But then I have no idea what it is you're doing in Myanmar so it's kind of hard to comment.

I'm in the logistics industry.

[DagonKhan]

Change of heart... pm sent.

Edited January 27, 2013 by DagonKhan