Harris Waste Management Group, Inc. has taken advantage of the international trade show circuit and grown over the past two years from a solely domestic company to the world’s largest international manufacturer of large shears and balers used for recycling, said the firm’s marketing director, Elizabeth A. Webb.
When the Peachtree City-based company felt its home markets were “maturing” in 1993, Harris decided to seek business abroad, starting in Europe. But the company ran into some of the pitfalls of foreign expos early on, including shipping complications, voltage differences and payment obligations, she said.
After the firm expanded its budget for international marketing, such as signing on agents “who know the local scene,” Harris has been able to benefit from international expos, Ms. Webb said. This year the company has had representation at shows in the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, Mexico and The Netherlands.
Harris, which earns about $60 million in annual sales to roughly 50 countries, now has offices in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom and “is doing quite well in Asia,” she said.
Ms. Webb spoke at a seminar on foreign trade shows sponsored by the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce July18. For more information, Ms. Webb may be reached by phone at (404) 631-7287; fax (404) 631-7299.