40 | MEET OUR MEMBERS
Enabling return to international growth Partner network is key to success for our customers Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) supports Swiss SMEs with their international business and helps innovative foreign companies to settle in Switzerland. The economy has faced significant challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of the crisis, the needs of companies with international operations have changed fundamentally. However, from the very beginning they were able to count on the support of S-GE and its offices in Switzerland’s important export markets. We help companies to align their business with the new normal. Well-established cooperation with partners such as the Swiss-Swedish Chamber of Commerce is also proving to be a key added value. Lockdown, home offices, travel bans. We can look back on several extraordinary months. COVID-19 has shattered the world economy like hardly any other crisis in decades gone by. International business had to face new challenges. Supply chains were interrupted, business trips were not possible, and the situation on global markets changed on a daily basis. This has also drastically altered the needs of companies with international operations. All of a sudden, the focus was no longer on expanding into new markets, but on stabilizing international business in existing markets. The key concern was maintaining market share and reorientation.
tional business increased considerably. Thanks to the consistent adaptation of our services, the intensified cooperation with our partners, and the rapid expansion of digital offerings, Switzerland Global Enterprise was able to make a contribution to stabilizing the business of Swiss SMEs with international operations.
“Switzerland, along with Ireland, was one of the only major economic locations to see an increase in direct investment from abroad in 2020” We communicated digitally with innovative foreign companies in a targeted manner. As a result of this, in 2020 Swiss cantons were once again able to attract many companies despite the crisis. According to an analysis by fDi Markets for the Financial Times published in Q1, Switzerland, along with Ireland, was one of the only major economic locations to see an increase in direct investment from abroad in 2020.
Stabilization for Swiss SMEs and targeted communication with foreign companies
Globally networked for our customers – including with the SSCC
From the very beginning, Swiss SMEs with international operations were able to rely on the support of Switzerland Global Enterprise. Traditional business – information and consulting in relation to topics such as expansion into new markets, new sales channels, or new export strategies – declined significantly. At the same time, the demand for practical troubleshooting or support with digital interna-
Cooperation with our partners has proven to provide key added value. The global network of S-GE includes 21 bilateral chambers of commerce around the world, such as the SSCC. Our customers benefit from this dense network: It enables them to access high-quality experts from around the world at all times and to gain valuable knowledge about their local market. The chambers of commerce
