I have been working in the global economy for the last 20 years or more and this is my experience. I traveled a lot back in the good old days after I got out of my time as an apprentice. Sometimes I worked as a toolmaker, sometimes a fitter and sometimes did odd jobs like picking fruit to shearing sheep. I worked my way round most of Europe this way.
The first thing to remember in the global economy is that business about people and not about money. Business does not run itself, people do. Building relationships with people is very important. Remember relationship is a two way street. You have to know them and they have to know you; the "you" is very important.
To build a relationship you have to understand their culture. To understand culture you have to go there and experience it first hand. You can read it on the web but you a reading a selection of opinions which is looking at culture though someone else eyes. Culture is rooted in the past so you have to understand how it evolved. Culture is about how you see the world. Understanding a culture is to look at the world through theirs and not yours. Understanding custom is critical. What may be acceptable to you maybe offensive them and vice versa. You have to know this because if you feel offended by something that was meant to be well intended then the deal you have worked so hard for may fall through. The bottom line for all this is trust and trust will trump dollars; believe me I have seen it first hand. (Better the devil you know than the devil you don't).
One economic side of all this is the law of supply and demand. Supply always catches up with demand it always has and always will. With modern technology the time lag has gotten shorter and will get shorter still. (The Lean crew calls it continuous improvement)
When demand outstrips supply the seller (manufacturer) dictates the price. When supply outstrips demand the buyer (customer) dictates the price. In all this what has been and what will be is that it is the customer who is the arbiter of quality and it is the customer that dictates the delivery.
If the customer controls the price then it is the supplier that controls the cost of manufacture. If there is one thing to remember, remember this well because wars have been fought over it and bogs are filled with people that feel as though the system has ripped them off because of this.
The www, email, the phone, the fax, personal contacts are elements of a communications system. In any system the elements of that system work together and can't stand alone. If you use any of these elements as tools then you are not going to compete in the global market place.
One thing about global manufacturing is global manufacturing aids have become a growth industry. For example a lot of CAD designers have modules for converting from one countries system to the other. Machine controls have an option where they can be programmed in ISO or conversational. Conversional programming has the advantage of what language is to be used by the manufacture. However if you want to go global you will have to make the required investments both in technology, training, learning and be willing to adapt. If you don't feel that it is necessary then don't go in there. There is no such thing as global on the cheap. If you are to succeed you have invest up front and not be forced into in the end as it will cost you a lot.
If you want to do business in Europe go there and spend some time. Look for niches in the market that no local wants to fill. The Japanese call it Genchi Genbutsu, go to the place and reflect deeply on what you see.
