Stratec begins work in Colombia, idealizing the Latin American market.
Stratec will begin its internationalization project, expanding into the Colombian market in August 2013. While still structuring the office and making initial contacts, some companies have already shown interest in the software, heralding a promising market.
According to Guilherme Barbassa, director of Stratec, the company had already had demand from clients who have branches outside Brazil or are branches of an international parent company. “The first demand was for the software to become multilingual,” says Barbassa. He explains that after transforming the software into a multilingual system, Stratec's board decided it would be worth moving forward, as the product was ready to enter other markets. “With this action, we realized that we are competitive compared to international software coming into Brazil,” he states.
In this pilot project, only the Strategic Management software will be introduced to companies, but the intention is that, subsequently, all Stratec governance suite software will be distributed internationally.
When asked about the choice of Colombia as the first country to receive the software outside of Brazil, Barbassa says it was an opportunity. “It's a country that has grown in a structured way and is attracting investments. Besides that, business opportunities arose for us there. Since we already had an entry point, we chose Colombia,” he says.
The first steps of Stratec in Colombia will be taken by Aura Elizabeth Abaunza, a Colombian administrator, who will be responsible for introducing the Strategic Management software to companies in the country. “My position is Country Manager, and my role is to open doors in the Colombian market, introducing new clients to Stratec,” she explains. She was selected from many candidates to support local partners and clients, as well as visit them to present the software. “Companies have already shown interest and requested presentations,” she celebrates. According to Elizabeth, the company’s expansion in Colombia will begin in Bogotá, opening a branch that will introduce a penetration strategy into the Colombian market. “Bogotá will be the pilot project. Afterward, we plan to move on to Medellín, Cali, Bucaramanga, until we cover all of Colombia,” she says.
Barbassa complements: “Our initial research is receiving excellent reception in Colombia, both in terms of the tool's quality and its suitability for their management practices, as well as its price. Therefore, we expect quick market acceptance,” he says. Aura Elizabeth also expresses optimism: “The Colombian market, upon learning it's a technological product from Brazil, shows interest in knowing the product because it meets demand and they believe it has added value that makes it unique in the Strategic Management Software market,” she reinforces.
Aura Elizabeth won't be without company for long in Colombia. According to Barbassa, the idea is to build a structure that will serve the entire Colombian market and, in the future, Latin America. “For now, we are still in the structuring phase, but we want to set up a user support structure that will serve all of Latin America,” reveals the director. By the end of the year, Stratec plans to enter the markets of Argentina, Mexico, and Chile.
