Portugal and the United States have an interesting trading partnership that dates back as far as America’s colonial days. Portugal, although not considered a major high-tech or industrial market, does have a fairly solid infrastructure and is one of Europe’s major producers of textiles. Today, the talk will focus on developing trade partnerships between U.S. exporters and Portugal importers as well as bilateral trade between the two countries. To get started, please make sure to check out the latest edition of our US-Portugal Industrial Trade Report which provides some details on major products being exported and imported from or to Portugal. The report includes recent foreign trade statistics, American and Portuguese government agencies associated with trade as well as direct access to industrial suppliers serving American and Portuguese manufacturers, engineers and other industrial buyers.

Portugal and U.S. Trading Partners

The Web’s #1 resource for connecting American and Portuguese importers and exporters of industrial products is the Worldwide Industrial Marketplace, a division of the Industrial Leaders Group. As a supplier of industrial supplies, equipment, machinery or custom manufacturing services, Worldwide Industrial can help promote your products to Portuguese companies involved in various industries and in need of all kinds of industrial goods and allied services. Click here to list your company on the Worldwide Industrial Marketplace.

Once approved, your company will get excellent exposure across the entire network of Worldwide Industrial, which includes, ForeignTRADEX, our parent company and the leading US-European Industrial Directory. All companies involved in the production, selling, exporting or importing of industrial products are welcome to include their company on the site. I should clarify, editors of Worldwide Industrial is very selective on which companies they approve to be presented on the site. Only those that provide verifiable information will be accepted. All in all, I do know the company plans to launch a specialized directory specifically to bring together American and Portuguese industrial exporters and importers. Thus, if your Portugal-based or US-based company does sell industrial goods or custom manufacturing services, do not miss this opportunity to promote your company and corporate capabilities to an international audience of highly targeted industrial buyers.

RFQs (Trade Leads) From Portugal and US Companies

Are you a US-based company seeking to enter or expand into Portugal? Or maybe your company is established in Portugal and you’re looking to do business with American exporters or importers? Whatever your needs, we now provide access to hundred of LIVE Demands From Industrial Buyers currently sourcing for all kinds of products and services for their facility, engineering department, production line or other industrial application. Why chase down importers in Portugal or the U.S. when you can gain access to buyers actively sourcing the products/services you sell? You’ll save money, time and resources because you’ll be connecting directly with pre-qualified buyers ready to purchase NOW! I’m not aware of any other trade leads service on the Web that offers access to so many RFQs specifically for the manufacturing community. Go ahead and view the latest RFQs for Equipment & Custom Manufacturing Services and if you don’t think these are the best trade leads on the Web, let me know of a better resource. I searched the Internet for 6 days looking for a better On-line Manufacturing Marketplace and could not find anything even close to the over $300 million worth of RFQs found at the link above.

Business & Investment Opportunities In Portugal For U.S. Exporters

Portugal, a politically stable country is one of the charter members of the European Union and used the EU currency. About the size of Indiana, Portugal and its nearly 11 million people provide a nice market for U.S. exporters. The Portuguese are proud people and their business culture is similar to the United States where strong relationships are most important between decision makers. According to some sources on the Web, Portugal has imported about $1.1 billion dollars of American-made products and services from U.S. exporters. Some sources on the Web indicate that figure is much higher and closer to $2 billion worth of U.S. goods. It appears the U.S. states exporting the largest volume of goods to Portugal include California, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Indiana. I found it strange to find that Massachusetts, with its large Portuguese population, especially in the towns of New Bedford, Hudson, Gloucester and Fall River). One might think Portuguese American businesses in Massachusetts would of developed more trading partnerships with companies in Portugal. On the other hand, it’s clearly obvious why California exports so many products to Portugal. Not only is California a leading exporter in the U.S., it also has a large population of Portuguese in Modesto and Tulare.

Major U.S. Products Exported To Portugal

Portugal imports a wide range of U.S. goods, especially wood, medical equipment, fruits and seeds, various grains, electrical machinery, aircraft as well as construction and industrial equipment. The Portuguese government is dedicated to improving its infrastructure by investment significantly in engineering and construction projects in its major cities. Including projects associated with alternative energy, high-speed rail lines and Lisbon Airport. In fact, Portugal plans to invest about 10 billion Euros over the next five years on its infrastructure, making it an attractive market for U.S. exporters. Naturally, with Portugal being in the EU, American exporters should expect fierce competition with other European Union countries seeking to do business with the Portuguese.

The market for U.S. architectural, construction and engineering company services is set to be an interesting one in Portugal in the near future. Public works construction is expected to grow at a rate of 5 to 7% in the next five years. Beginning now, and continuing to 2012, there are four major projects, which have the full attention of the Government and are considered priorities to move ahead. They are the new Lisbon Airport, high-speed rail lines, renewable energy and new port infrastructure. All in all, Portugal is an excellent market for U.S. exporters, whether they’re exporting to Europe for the first time or looking to further penetrate the vast EU economy. The country is still one of the lower commercial cost markets in all of Europe and although it may seem like a small market with only about 10.5 million people. Keep in mind, there are over 200 million people speaking Portuguese across the globe and many have close connections with Portugal. For example, Brazil is a leading trading partner of Portugal and many U.S. exporters have developed significant advantages by utilizing Brazil-Portugal trade avenues to enter the Portugal’s market.

Portugal International Trade References:

• Portugal Business & Investment
  
• Portugal Foreign Trade
  
• Doing Business in Portugal - Provided by U.S. Commercial Service.
  
• US-Portugal Trade Statistics
  
• WTO on Portugal - World Trade Organization covering Portugal.
  
• Portugal Business Opportunities
  
• Portugal and the EU - An outlook on Portugal’s membership in the European Union.
  
• Portugal Global - Find trading partners in Portugal.
  
• Portugal.org
  
• US-Portugal Trade Relations - Department of Foreign Affairs.