Group photo of delegates in Warsaw trade meeting.  *Picture Courtesy of TAITRA 

Sponsored by Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs, TAITRA Green Trade Project Office (GTPO) recently led Taiwanese green companies to the “2018 Taiwan Trade Mission of Green & Sustainable City and Circular Economy to Poland, Estonia and Bulgaria” from May 20-31, 2018. The companies included Delta, Lite-On, Advantech, Nexcom Intelligent Systems, FSP, Vivotek & Oma-Lighting. GTPO together with the seven companies went to Warsaw, Poland, Tallinn, Estonia, and Sofia, Bulgaria to conduct trade talks and visits. The trade mission attracted 56 buyers and 157 trade negotiations with the goal of promoting business opportunities. It was estimated that a total of 13.35 million US dollars of potential business opportunities were created. Members of the delegation are optimistic of the business prospects in Eastern Europe for smart green cities.

Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) stated that the development of green smart cities and the prevention and control of air pollution are all current trends in Eastern Europe and bring about many opportunities for business. The Taiwanese companies had a clear target, high professionalism, and complete solutions. Both during the trade negotiations and during company visits, they received very good, positive feedback. The Green Trade Project Office will continue to follow up progress and cooperation to assist Taiwanese green companies to deepen relationships and create new businesses with Eastern Europe.

Driven by the European Union’s green policy and smart Internet of Things (IoT) trend, the first stop attracted a lot of interest from large Polish system integrators. Some buyers had driven 4 hours to get cooperation opportunities with Taiwanese green companies. During the talks, the parties interacted with each other and had in-depth discussions. They included Asseco, the largest system integrator in Poland, ABC Data, the second largest computer equipment, software and consumer electronics, and Polkomtel, the fourth largest telecommunications company. Lug, a major lighting manufacturer, PESA, the largest railroad vehicle manufacturer, URSUS, an electric bus manufacturer, and Sabur, a European automation and software developer.

The Taiwan delegation also visited Polish companies at the forefront of smart and green, such as system integrator and telecom T-matic Systems, Poland’s largest satellite TV operator Cyfrowy Polsat, Polish IT system integrator Qumak and other companies the next day.

At the same time, Taiwan delegation teams introduced various solutions in smart transportation, smart cities, and electric vehicle charging stations to demonstrate system integration. The delegation also had an in-depth exchange with Mr. Drogosz, Director of the Infrastructure Department, Warsaw City Government, to understand the future direction of Warsaw City and potential business opportunities.

The members of the Taiwan delegation were very thankful for the assistance of TAITRA and Taiwan Trade Center, Warsaw in helping to coordinate meetings with large buyers and expressed their sincere gratitude and appreciation. They also expressed that they would be interested in taking part on the next trade mission.

At Tallinn, the Taiwan delegation visited Muuga Harbor, the largest cargo port in Estonia. They visited Elektrilevi, the main electricity distribution company, Eliko, a developer of smart city IT software, and the city government of Tallinn. Estonian manufacturers also gave Taiwan manufacturers a warm reception and showed great enthusiasm and interest in green smart technologies in infrastructure, energy saving, transportation, security, and lighting. The delegation also received follow-up inquiries immediately after the meeting and opened cooperation opportunities.

At the Bulgarian station, Taiwan Trade Center, Sofia also assisted in bringing many large buyers and important government officials to attend seminars and conferences. Some of the Bulgarian companies included Maxtel, the IT procurement agency for the country, LED lighting manufacturer Megatex and ICT system integrator SBS. Sofia City Government person in charge of the “Sofia Green” project stated that he hopes to have the opportunity to visit and see Taiwan’s green city achievements and import solutions from Taiwan manufacturers to assist Bulgaria in energy saving and environmental protection.