The one who walks will master it.
In these notes devoted to the problems of exporting Russian technical security equipment, I will, of course, rely only on the experience of our company, since I do not have generalized statistical data on the export of Russian-made technical security equipment: what, where, how much… I believe that no one has such data. And without them, any opinion will be subjective. Mine, of course, too. Honestly warning readers about this, I want to remind you that subjectivity does not always have a negative connotation. It is enough to remember that the source of almost all scientific discoveries was someone's subjective opinion.
Among the total sales volume of our company, export deliveries today do not exceed the size of domestic Russian distribution. But over the past few years, we have seen a steady growth in the export component.
The geography of deliveries is quite wide. The main countries and regions of export are the CIS, Europe, North America. There were also deliveries to the countries of the Pacific Basin. I am talking specifically about direct deliveries to partner warehouses. Naturally, there are countries where systems are installed and sales are carried out through the representative network of our Russian partners, but for obvious reasons I will find it difficult to name them all. There is every reason to believe that at this stage the demand is most likely satisfied. But we see ways to develop exports and are taking certain marketing steps to popularize products and increase demand, and develop new markets.
We do see prospects for export development, because Russian-made goods are quite competitive in the West. At least, this statement is true with regard to computer-based video surveillance systems. On the one hand, the European and North American markets are saturated with expensive systems from global brands, but on the other hand, ordering “customization” of a brand’s system or software is quite difficult and very expensive. Therefore, specialists who have experience working with a Russian manufacturer, in such cases, naturally choose a more loyal partner from Russia. It is also worth noting some marketing and technological “stiffness” of foreign manufacturers. In Russia, you must admit, there is still some originality that helps both to approach the solution of a problem in an unconventional way and to find effective ways to promote products. In addition, the prices of Russian products for the end consumer and the system integrator, even taking into account transport and customs costs, allow us to build a competent sales and motivation policy. In a word, in terms of price-quality ratio, domestic products are interesting for foreign consumers.
A very important issue is the organization of service. In its solution, a lot depends on the partner representing the company abroad. A well-designed warehouse in the export region, the presence of qualified and manufacturer-certified technical personnel at the partner help to promptly and efficiently satisfy both customer requests and warranty claims. The supply of spare parts is, most often, a customs problem.
In general, it seems that we live in the era of the Cold War and the Iron Curtain for export, and with absurd to the point of banality rules. For example, the Federal Law «On Export Control» of July 18, 1999 No. 183-FZ, every time we conclude an export contract, obliges us to prove that the products we manufacture cannot be, I quote, «… used in the creation of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery vehicles, other types of weapons and military equipment …». On the one hand, I fully share the government's opinion that «… goods, information, work, services and results of intellectual activity …» that we produce «… can be used in the creation of missile weapons and military equipment …», — after all, high technology. But I am very dissatisfied with the implementation of this law. The exporter is always made into a cash cow, because he has to pay here and there for a bunch of examinations and checks of the same goods supplied under different contracts. Moreover, it takes a lot of time to complete all the regulatory procedures. But the real comedy begins when exporting software. For each exported magnetic storage medium, on which the program distribution is simply recorded, a conclusion is required, which would indicate that the data on this medium does not contain information related to state secrets. Moreover, the paper is given not for the batch, but for each exported unit. Apparently, the regulatory authorities do not know that files can be transferred over the Internet.
There are also problems with tax authorities regarding VAT refunds, or more precisely, at a zero rate. If the goods are accepted by the buyer, the invoice is paid, the acceptance certificate is signed and everything is fine with customs, the rate is zero. But it turns out that this does not apply to services and work that we can officially provide abroad. As far as I know, no one has yet been able to refund VAT on the export of services.
In general, there is enough red tape, so it is unprofitable to export small batches or individual orders. This, in turn, hinders the development of entrepreneurship and export activities in general.
Nevertheless, I would rate export activities as very promising. In addition, there is hope that in the foreseeable future (especially after Russia's accession to the WTO) our customs laws will be brought into line with international standards. When this happens, the winners will be those companies whose products are already known in foreign markets.