The UmbriaWorld Project

Kuala Lumpur

INTRODUCTION

Geographical Position

Situated in the centre of Italy, Umbria is the only region in central Italy without a coastline. It belongs to the Tyrrhenian side of the peninsula and borders with the Marches to the northeast and east, with Latium to the south and Tuscany to the west and northwest. It has the fourth lowest population of all the Italian regions (only Basilicata, Molise and Valle d'Aosta have fewer inhabitants) while the density of population is about half the Italian average.  

THE ITALIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY

Internationally recognised fashion and style are the main characteristics of the Italian ready-made garments industry. The exhibitions and catwalks of Milan and Florence are the meeting points for acclaimed top-level fashion designers and foreign buyers of the Italian "prêt-à-porter". The main customers of the Italian ready-made garments industry are France, Switzerland, Japan and the United States.

THE TEXTILE AND GARMENT INDUSTRY IN UMBRIA

The Umbrian textile and garment industry thrives on its small and medium-sized companies. Apart from their own labels, Umbrian companies also manufacture clothing articles and accessories for Italian and international brand names. One Umbrian-based company label that is in the Malaysian market is Ellesse, which is based in Perugia.

Up to end June 2001, active Umbrian companies in the textile sector amounted to 1,020, an increase of 47 from its 1996 figure of 817. In the section of garment manufacturing, the number resulted at 1,244 during the same period.

Operating Companies in the Textile/Garment Sector by Activity, 30 June 2001

UmbriaWorld, Kuala Lumpur

The UmbriaWorld project in Kuala Lumpur began in June 2001, focusing on technological sectors such as telecommunications, engineering and metalworking. This garnered a response from 160 or so Malaysian companies seeking working partnerships with suitable Italian counterparts.

The participation procedure included the completion of a questionnaire with company information, the submission of a company brochure complete with pictures of the company premises, the board of directors, the manufacturing and distribution process and the final products. The information was then put on the UmbriaWorld intranet database with the pictures, to allocate each company its own personal page on the UmbriaWorld site.

Through information given by the companies from both Umbria and Malaysia, the project devised a business-matching tool which locates counterparts from the same sector with similar interests. The companies are then informed and sent the names of their potential partners. Throughout the first phases of the process, staff at the UmbriaWorld help desk in Kuala Lumpur are available to assist the participating companies.

UmbriaWorld: A new innovative step towards the internationalisation of manufacturing companies

UmbriaWorld is the new communication tool on the Internet devised to help and support effective cooperation between companies located in Umbria and other foreign companies.

This project is the result of a joint effort between the Local Government of Umbria, the Agency for the Economic Development of Umbria, Sviluppumbria, and the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade, represented in Malaysia by the Italian Trade Commission.

The way Umbriaworld operates is very simple: Umbriaworld will send accurately tailor made e-mails to the Umbrian companies with specific links attached whereby the firms will access the UmbriaWorld Intranet Website. From there and through a personalised channel, the Umbrian companies will receive a list of accurately selected potential partners abroad, which operate in similar sectors to them in search of foreign partners.

For each company, UmbriaWorld provides an online information sheet illustrating the companies profile and its products, with relevant photo-images and a description of the type of commercial co-operation sought by the firms.

The Right Partner at your fingertips

At UmbriaWorld we realise that, besides supplying valuable information about potential Italian business partners, it is also essential to offer further assistance in order to fully take advantage of the profitable opportunities envisaged.

The UmbriaWorld network is ready to assist foreign firms throughout the delicate phase of the first contact with Italian partners. To request our assistance, you can simply send us a message completing the ad hoc online form available by clicking on the button “contattaci”, placed on the UmbriaWorld’s homepage. Qualified professionals will provide the needed support during the initial steps require to start a new commercial partnership.

With UmbriaWorld, you can make your company more competitive in the Italian market, by optimising your production and distribution processes, while working with an established Italian partner.