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Commercial Service Official Honors STAMEQ for Achievements in Trade

STAMEQ Presented with Certificate for Appreciation in Trade

Washington, DC —The U.S. Commercial Service’s USA Trade Promotion Center presented the Vietnam's Directorate for Standards and Quality (STAMEQ) with the Commerce Department’s Certificate of Appreciation for Achievement in Trade. The award is presented to organizations that have partnered with the Department’s Commercial Service to help promote export opportunities for U.S. businesses. STAMEQ was recognized for its cooperative activities with two leading U.S. standards organizations.

“STAMEQ is gratified to play a constructive role in the ever-growing U.S.-Vietnam trade relationship, and we hope to build on this momentum in standardization and conformity assessment activities to take our commercial relationship to even greater heights,” said Dr. Ha Dang Hien, Director, Conformity Assessment Department, STAMEQ. “We are eager to develop more practical relationships with U.S. standards organizations in the coming months.”

Attending today’s ceremony was a senior Vietnamese delegation of legislators and standards officials who are visiting the United States. Also in attendance were officials from the U.S. Commercial Service and the Office of Management and Budget. Arranged by the U.S. Commercial Service and State Department, the visit is part of a broader Commerce Department Standards Initiative aimed at promoting the U.S. approach to standardization and conformity assessment to our trading partners worldwide.

The International Trade Administration and the U.S. Commercial Service Vietnam office have been at the forefront of Commerce’s Standards Initiative, orchestrating introductions to key U.S. Government agencies and standards organizations in the U.S., arranging program content, and facilitating communication with the Vietnamese government on behalf of U.S. industry's objectives.

U.S.-Vietnam trade has been expanding at a rapid pace throughout the current decade, with two-way trade volumes growing from $1.2 billion in 2000 to nearly $10 billion in 2006.

Visit export.gov for more information about the U.S. Commercial Service and other U.S. Government export programs. Or call 1-800-USA-TRADE.

U.S. Commercial Service Official Honors ASTM International for Achievements in Trade.

West Conshohocken, PA—Doug Barry, Acting Executive Director for the U.S. Commercial Service’s USA Trade Promotion Center, presented ASTM International with the Commerce Department’s Certificate of Appreciation for Achievement in Trade. The award is presented to organizations that have partnered with the Department’s Commercial Service to help promote trade/export opportunities for U.S. businesses. ASTM International was recognized for their work with Vietnam in helping that country adopt international standards.

A nonprofit international standards organization headquartered in the United States, ASTM International works worldwide with individuals, companies, and governments to participate together in a consensus process to develop global standards for health, safety, a better environment and to facilitate trade worldwide.

“Vietnam’s adoption of global standards with the help of ASTM International has greatly expanded avenues for increased U.S.-Vietnamese commercial cooperation,” Barry said. “Through its efforts in shaping international standards, ASTM is helping Vietnam and other nations to develop their economic infrastrustures and bring them further into the mainstream of trade.”

ASTM International has been reaching out to the national standards bodies of developing countries worldwide. Among the 45 countries that have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with ASTM are the Vietnamese National Standards Body STAMEQ (Directorate for Standards and Quality) which signed in January 2004.

Under the MOU, ASTM International provided STAMEQ with its entire collection of 12,000 standards free of charge every year for Vietnam’s use in developing its own national standards. ASTM has also provided membership to representatives of STAMEQ on ASTM committees dealing with petroleum, paint, textiles, plastics, laboratory accreditation, and nanotechnology. As a result of the MOU, STAMEQ has already adopted 54 ASTM standards as Vietnamese National Standards in the areas of petroleum, aviation fuels, nondestructive testing, gasoline, road construction, roofing materials, and coal. In addition STAMEQ reported using 180 other ASTM standards for their own internal use in such areas as steel, aluminum, cement, ceramic tile, asphalt, wool, paints, plastics, and plastic pipe.

Attending the ceremony was a senior Vietnamese delegation of legislators and standards officials who were visiting the United States.

U.S.-Vietnam trade has increased more than five-fold since the implementation of the bilateral trade agreement between the two countries in 2001. Last year, two-way trade was $7.8 billion, a jump of $6.3 billion since the agreement went into force.

With its network of offices across the U.S. and in more than 80 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies export their goods and services and match them with international buyers. In 2005, the U.S. Commercial Service helped generated nearly 12,500 export successes worth billions of dollars in U.S. export sales.

The Filtration Group of Aurora, IL is a leading manufacturer of ...

The Filtration Group of Aurora, IL is a leading manufacturer of filtration products for HVAC, Dust, Liquid, Gas Phase, Cleanroom, Paint, & Filter Media used in the residential, commercial, and industrial market. Bob Mangiaforte, Regional Director, International Sales, became a new client of Trade Specialist (TS) Robin Mugford, Libertyvillle Export Assistance, in August 2004. At a company presentation, TS Mugford discussed the Gold Key Service (GKS) as a means to help the company take an active approach to expanding export sales in Southeast Asia. Filtration Group was an exhibitor at the OSEA 2004 Trade Show in Singapore in December 2004. At the show, Mr. Mangiaforte met Commercial Specialist (CS) Le Son, FCS Ho Chi Minh City, and they discussed the firm's interest in business opportunities and distributors in Vietnam. CS Son recommended the GKS. In January 2005, Mr. Mangiaforte contacted TS Mugford to initiate the GKS. Mr. Mangiaforte had two goals, first to find a distributor strong in the HVAC filtration industry, and second to find a distributor strong in the industrial industry. CS Son conducted market research on the Vietnam filter market including end-user industries, quality, and price factors prior to contacting appropriate local companies. The GKS was conducted in May 2005 and ten appointments were scheduled.

In December 2005, TS Mugford contacted Mr. Mangiaforte to ascertain the results of the Gold Key Service in Vietnam. He reported that he appointed STD Co. Ltd. as a distributor, one of the companies he met during the GKS. STD Co. Ltd. will represent Filtration Group and develop export sales in the industrial filter application industry. In a written message, Mr. Mangiaforte stated, " You sold me on the benefits of the Gold Key Service and Son set up the appointments with many potential partners. He also did an excellent job helping us make a final decision on which distributors to choose. Both you and Son's follow-up with were outstanding. The Gold Key Service was well worth the time and money we invested and I would not hesitate to recommend this service or to use it again."

Pentair Water Treatment is a Wisconsin company that manufactures ...

Pentair Water Treatment is a Wisconsin company that manufactures water filtration equipment, valves, pressure tanks and related equipment for pools and spas. Although the client exports to several markets worldwide, it is new-to-export (NTE) in Vietnam.

In October 2004, John Osbourne, Pentair's Sales Representative for Vietnam and China, traveled to Vietnam to explore the market and meet with ComSpecialist Ms. Vo Thuy. He requested private meetings with luxury resorts, hotels under construction, and trading companies dealing with pool and spa products. ComSpecialist Thuy counseled the client on the best market entry strategy and provided a "Contact List Service", which detailed ten potential Vietnamese partners for Pentair. One of the contacts given was DNK TECHCO, a reputable trading company that handles pool and spa products.

In the following months, ComSpecialist Thuy continued to provide counseling to Pentair's Osbourne on payment methods, distribution, and export documentation issues for Vietnam. In early August 2005, Pentair reported to ComSpecialist Thuy that it was successful it making an initial sale to DNK TECHNO in the amount of $31,9000. Pentair's Osbourne credits Commercial Service Ho Chi Minh City with its export success.

On Oct. 10, 2004, Behn Meyer Vietnam contacted Commercial Specialist ...

On Oct. 10, 2004, Behn Meyer Vietnam contacted Commercial Specialist Vo Thuy to ask for assistance in an export transaction to Vietnam. Behn Meyer imported a chemical solvent from ExxonMobil Chemical in South Houston , TX with a contract signed via their branch office in Singapore. They encountered a problem with Vietnamese Customs regarding the Certificate of Origin (COO) for the product because the seal was considered to be fake.

As the COO was issued by The City of South Houston Chamber of Commerce, CS Vo Thuy then contacted Alan Richel, Senior International Trade Specialist, to verify the legitimacy of the ExxonMobil COO. Thanks to advice from Alan Richel and Vo Thuy, Behn Meyer obtained a confirmation letter from the South Houston Chamber of Commerce and thereby proved to Vietnam Customs that the COO was authentic. This enabled Behn Meyer to clear the cargo from the port. The value of this shipment is US$500,000. Ms. Dao Nhi Ha from Behn Meyer has written a thank you letter to CS HCMC.

On November 2004, CS Ho Chi Minh City organized the Minnesota and Wisconsin Environmental Technology Trade Mission ...

On November 2004, CS Ho Chi Minh City organized the Minnesota and Wisconsin Environmental Technology Trade Mission to Ho Chi Minh city for two days. In addition to arranging meetings with local Ho Chi Minh City government officials and site visits to industrial zones, CS HCMC also arranged Gold Key Matchmaking Service (GKMS) appointments for U.S companies in the delegation. Harmony Enterprises, one of members of the trade mission, headquartered in Harmony, MN, specializes in recycled material handling equipment such as compactors & balers. Commercial Specialist Vo Thuy arranged a GKMS for Mr. Steve Cremer, President of Harmony, to meet with the officials of the HCMC Department of Natural Resources & Environment (DONRE) and several environmental companies. By using information provided by CS Ho Chi Minh City and the recommendation from DONRE officials, Delta Harware & Industry (DHI), a private company specializing in food & beverage packaging equipment, directly communicated with Harmony Enterprises to purchase one ExtractPack machine which is used in a bottling plant. The sale contract valued at $25,000 was reported to CS Vo Thuy by Harmony President Steve Cremer and Minnesota State Trade Mission Leader Steve Riedel. In the letter from Riedel, he quoted Steve Cremer of Harmony as follows: "This sale never would have happened without the trade mission."