The Industrial Machinery Division in the Office of Energy, Infrastructure and Machinery, Basic Industries, will organize the Used Equipment Trade Mission to Panama, Guatemala and Costa Rica from April 18-28,1999. The mission will include one Commerce Department employee and representatives from a variety of used and refurbished equipment companies interested in establishing a market presence in these countries.
There are no quantifiable data or trade statistics available from the Commercial Service in these countries that describe the used equipment sector's size. However, all reports from these offices have indicated that there is a strong niche for U.S. remanufactured machinery in a number of sectors. On this basis, Basic Industries has organized several successful trade events to the region over the past several years. These countries are small and relatively poor in capital resources. Thus, in lieu of importing new or state-of-the art technologies, many enterprises purchase reconditioned or remanufactured equipment for many industries including food processing and packaging equipment, agricultural machinery, medical and construction equipment and heavy duty trucks. These sectors are represented on this mission. Tariff rates, barriers to entry, and licensing requirements are virtually non-existent, making the region a prime commercial opportunity for used machinery.
The mission's goals are to introduce new-to-export and small to medium-sized exporters of reconditioned and remanufactured machinery to these markets, and assist them in identifying suitable representatives for their product lines.
The mission director and the delegation will meet with local companies in each of the countries which are interested in representing U.S. companies as potential business partners. As this event is strictly a commercial endeavor, no policy issues will be addressed during the course of the mission's schedule, and all activities are being coordinated and organized by appropriate U.S. government officials at the U.S. embassy in each country. Each embassy will host either a reception or other hospitality event to bring together potential purchasers of equipment and the mission delegation.
The mission is scheduled to arrive in Costa Rica on April 18,1999. It will remain there for two full business days and then travel to Panama and Guatemala for two to three full days of business meetings and activities. The schedule is being finalized now and will be tailored to the specific business needs of mission members. Recruitment will begin by October 1, 1998 and end on March 15, 1999.
A company's products or services must be either produced in the United States or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm and have at least 51 percent U.S. content of the finished product/service. Any partisan political activities (including political contributions) of an applicant are entirely irrelevant to the selection process.
Recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the Internet and a press release to the public.
Mr. John J. Bodson U.S. Department of Commerce ITA/TD/BI Room 4056 Washington, D.C. 20230 Telephone: 202-482-0681 Fax: 202-482-0304 E-mail: John_Bodson@ita.doc.gov