The MRO e-Marketplace is spearheading the exports of small and medium-sized companies. SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) who were previously been deemed to have lost export competitiveness, are gaining new export opportunities through the e-Marketplaces.

According to market sources quoted on June 28, Jin Heung Industry, a plastic bag manufacturer, exported USD 348,000 worth of products through iMarketKorea in 2006. When partnered with iMarketKorea in 2004, Jin Heung Industry exported USD 2,500 worth of plastic bags, which increased to KRW USD 185,000 in 2005 and USD 348,000 in 2006. It expects USD 544,000 in overseas sales this year.

Sungjoon Electric, a manufacturer of electrical equipment such as sensors and power supplies, also expects exports of more than USD 110,000) in 2007 through iMarketKorea to markets in Latin America, Europe, China and Southeast Asia. This figure is 30 times its export level for 2004, which was only worth USD 3,260.

This continued success in achieving exports via e-Marketplaces has increased the number of SMEs partnered with iMarketKorea to 1700 so far this year, up from 200 in 2004 and 1260 in 2006. iMarketKoreas exports jumped to USD 30 million in 2006, from less than USD 10 million in 2005.

ServeOne, another major MRO e-Marketplace, has an overseas unit in Nanjing, China, making it the only Korean firm of its kind to have a production site in China. Exports of ServeOnes domestic sub-contractors reached USD 7 million in 2006, and this number is expected to rise to USD 8 million this year. Sinhung, a gauze manufacturer, exported USD 12,000 worth of gauze to the US and Poland recently, while Joongang Sekyung, a diary maker, supplied products worth USD 3,260 to companies in Panama.

Shin Wook-in, a strategic team manager of iMarketKorea said, We will continue to support SMEs that have secured global competitiveness, but are having difficulty in advancing into foreign markets. This is the most effective win-win solution for both e-Marketplaces and SMEs.