The strategies of entering tree nuts supply chain in Taiwan: a case study of Z company

本次採取個案研究方式，針對一家經營堅果原料出口貿易的中間商，藉著全球強勁的買方需求開始進入堅果原料市場。此公司座落在原料的產地，容易取得第一手的價格與產業情報，讓他們擁有資訊不對稱的優勢，來進行原料的銷售。 針對該中間商從銷售基本單位、銷售八大步驟、採購小組中心、4C架構、垂直整合等五個方式進行探討。此中間商成功進入台灣堅果原料供應鏈，主要在於能與上游供應鏈簽訂短期商品合約，保有原料價格的競爭力，並且能在其他競爭對手無原料時，適時提供客戶商品。在開發台灣市場發展的前期，由堅果原料供應鏈的下游開始，一路往上游尋找台灣的潛在客戶。此中間商取得下游廠商的信任後，運用彼此的關係取得上游買家的信任，加快銷售程序，以及減少採購單位的疑慮。個案中，該中間商曾試著透過策略聯盟的方式，與台灣小型網購業者進行堅果銷售，最後卻以失敗收場。 實際訪談個案公司與蒐集資料後，透過理論架構分析發現，一家企業公司要進入市場的前期，若花費精神調查供應鏈的結構來發掘潛在買家對象，且瞭解實際的需求與市場的競爭狀況後，再借助企業本身優勢，可成功取得代表性的客戶，容易成為此供應鏈的一員。但，隨著外部環境改變，企業的優勢是否會跟著改變，也是其個案企業未來尚須解決的議題。This research takes a tree nut exporting company, the Z Company, as case study to evaluate how the company took advantage of both strong international tree nut raw material demand and first-hand industrial and price information to enter the tree nut exporting industry. By facilitating its location advantage, which the company is located in the tree nut farm, the Z Company is able to hold first-hand information to create information asymmetry as advantage to sell the tree nut raw material. In the beginning stage in developing Taiwanese market, Z Company started and earned trusts from customers located in downstream tree nuts supply chain, and then took further steps to move upstream by exploiting the established trusts as references to gain trusts from the customers located in the upper stream of the supply chain. By doing so, Z Company was able to speed up the purchasing process and minimize the doubts for purchasing managers. In addition to this, Z Company also formed strategic alliance with a small Taiwanese online store to penetrate the market but did not receive much result. This research uses the concepts of basic sales unit, 8 steps to establish sales and customer relationship management, 4C framework of strategic marketing, and vertical integration to evaluate the developing path of Z Company. The research found that the reason why Z Company can successfully enter the tree nuts supply chain in Taiwan is that Z Company is able to sign shirt-term merchandise supply contract with the suppliers to ensure the competitiveness in price and secure the product supply, while on the other hand offers timely supply of material to the customers when other competitors fail to fulfill the product demand. This research discovered that in the beginning stage of market entry, it is ideal to utilize the company’s resources to discover who the potential buyers are and what the real market demand and the degree of competitiveness is. Then, the company should take its interior strength to acquire customers with industry influence as representative case so that it can easily become one of the members in the supply chain. However, as the external environment changes, the company’s advantages in the industry are very likely to change as well, therefore how to respond to such change will be the future development issue for the company