# WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT IN NORTHWEST RUSSIA

JANUARY 2000

 

AUTHOR:            MARINAKAMAYEVA, COMMERCIAL ASSISTANT, US & FOREIGN COMMERCIAL SERVICE (FCS), USCONSULATE ST. PETERSBURG. APPROVING OFFICER: MICHAEL  RICHARDSON, PRINCIPAL COMMERCIAL OFFICER, US & FOREIGNCOMMERCIAL SERVICE (FCS), US CONSULATE ST. PETERSBURG. 

 

International Copyright, U.S. & Foreign CommercialService and U.S. Department Of State, 2000.  All rights reserved outside of the United States.

 

GOLD KEY SERVICE: U.S. companies interested in gaining access to prospective businesspartners in St. Petersburg and NW Russia are encouraged to utilize our veryeffective “Gold Key Service.” Experienced Commercial Specialists identify opportunities, arrangebusiness appointments with pre-qualified Russian agents and distributors, andaccompany you to the meetings. The current charge for our Gold Key Service is$500 for 4-6 meetings (1-2 days of appointments), and $150 per additional dayof appointments (maximum 4 appointments per day).  Major credit cards accepted. Driver and professionalinterpreter services can be arranged for an additional fee. We requiresufficient company literature at least three weeks prior to the desiredappointment dates.

 

WEBSITES & OTHER SERVICES:  The Department of Commerce’s US&FCS office in St.Petersburg offers a range of services to U.S. companies interested in doingbusiness in NW Russia. In addition to traditional FCS services (such as theAgent Distributor Search), in our offices at Nevsky Prospect 25 we provide aconference room for up to 20, free computer and local telephone line use, andwe can provide fee-based translation, business card and color printing servicesupon request.  For moreinformation, visit us at: “www.usconsulate.spb.ru/fcs.” American exporters and investors may wishto visit the Commerce Department’s BISNIS website site at:  “www.bisnis.doc.gov”

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY

 

In 1994, a report on drinking water in the RussianFederation estimated that half of the Russian population drinks poor qualitywater, and stated that improved purification plants were urgentlyrequired.  Although the Russiangovernment has launched a number of water improvement programs since that time,water quality is still an outstanding issue in many cities.  Currently, there are still reports ofincreasingly acute maintenance and operating problems at existing purificationfacilities.  Both the Russiangovernment and international organizations recognize this issue as a highpriority action.  This needrepresents a potential market for imported wastewater equipment and effectiveimported sewage systems.

 

The major environmental issues facing Northwest Russiaare:  pollution of air and waterbasins and regional lands; storage and unsatisfactory treatment of wastes; andthe ecological condition of city parks and green space.  The deterioration of existingecological conditions creates a number of potential environmental dangers,including to human health.  Thesedangers are caused by sources both within the cities of Northwest Russia andfrom agriculture oriented rural areas. St. Petersburg, the region's largest city, is located at the outlet ofthe largest ecological system in Northwest Russia, which comprises the waterbasins of Lake Ladoga, the Neva River and the Gulf of Finland.  Consequently, all the sewage water fromthis area passes through St. Petersburg's sewage system.  The surrounding Leningrad Oblast(region) and other oblasts also have an important impact on environmentalconditions in the area. 

 

Until 1994-1995, the post-Soviet industrial collapse hadcompelled Russian government agencies and enterprises to assign water pollutioncontrol expenditures a low priority. However, as a result of recent pressure from international environmentalprotection organizations and the need to recognize international water qualitystandards, as well as more active involvement on the part of multilateralfinancing agencies in Russian environmental problems, the total market forwater treatment equipment is expected to grow by about 15 percent during thenext 5 years.  Furthermore, thegrowth rate of imported equipment will exceed the growth rate of domesticproduction since water treatment financing comes primarily from foreignsources.

 

The volume of domestic production of water treatmentequipment in general is lagging behind market demand; moreover,Russian-manufactured equipment is quite inferior in quality to Westernequipment and the range of products produced lacks a number of items requiredfor thorough water treatment. Research centers are working on the development of their own treatmenttechnologies, but in most cases these organizations lack funding to implementtheir technologies and are open for cooperation with Western partners on jointprojects.  As a result, Americantechnology suppliers should consider Russian research institutes as valuablelocal partners, rather than as competitors.

 

European companies, primarily from Germany, Sweden, France,Great Britain, and Finland (with clear domination by Finnish, Swedish, andDanish firms in Northwest Russia), have been closely following the situation inthe Russian market and have moved quickly to fill the gap between the evidentdemand for quality water treatment equipment and its availability.   These firms are seriouscompetitors to U.S. companies that have not yet been clearly active inNorthwest Russia and whose technologies are not well known in the localmarket.  Another factor makingEuropean firms very competitive is that they are well acquainted with thevarious environmental programs of their home governments and are able to bringfinancing to their Russian customers.

 

It is important to note that financing is and will be, forat least several years, the major competitive factor.  Foreign direct investments and international financialinstitutions will primarily drive sales of U.S. water treatment equipment andservices, and U.S. suppliers of water treatment technologies should be aware ofenvironmental-related programs managed by the World Bank, the EBRD, and otherfinancial organizations. Additionally, after Russia's 1998 financial crisis, a number of domesticindustrial companies have recovered and are now able to up-grade theirproduction facilities, including the environmental protection aspects of thosefacilities.  

 

Keeping a presence in the local market in important, andappointing local representatives or establishing strong partnerships with localcompanies is a good way to gain significant assistance in building relationswith end-users and decision-makers for water treatment tenders. 

 

MAJOR TRENDS AND HIGHLIGHTS 

 

Northwest Russia is a large ecological system that comprisesthe water basins of Lake Ladoga, the Gulf of Finland, and the Baltic Sea, andhas direct access to the White Sea in the North.  This large industrial region of Russia borders severalEuropean countries, such as Finland, Norway, Estonia, and Poland, andenvironmental conditions in Northwest Russia have a direct impact oninternational water basins, the most important of which is the Baltic Sea.  All the sewage waters from this area'smajor industrial cities, such as St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Kaliningrad,Cherepovets, Petrozavodsk, and Archangelsk, pass through their respectivemunicipal sewage systems and affect the environments in neighboring countries.  Consequently, water pollution inNorthwest Russia is subject to pressure from international environmentalprotection organizations.  Localgovernments realize the need to recognize international water quality standardsand to assign water pollution control expenditures a higher priority than theydid at the beginning of the 1990's. 

 

The biological specifics of the Baltic Sea make itsecological system very sensitive to the growing level of pollution.  Polluting substances collect in theBaltic Sea due to its slow water exchange with the ocean (about 25–40years).  Pollution causes anincrease in the sea’s water temperature and, consequently, to the excessivedevelopment of microorganisms, including toxic blue-and-green seaweed.  This has created a relatively recenttrend on the part of municipalities to look for biological technologies toremove phosphorus and nitrogen from sewage sludge, which results in these algablooms.

 

Water purification systems used in major cities and towns ofNorthwest Russia are substandard, and bacteria are routinely present indrinking water.  On the whole, onlyabout 30 percent of sewage water is purified by municipal facilities.  It is generally recognized that next tonone of the existing water treatment facilities in the area meet internationalrequirements for allowed concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in purifiedwater.   As an example, thesmall town Ivangorod located on the border with Estonia attracted internationalattention during the past two years after town authorities, due to a lack offunds, stopped buying sewage treatment services from the water purificationplant located in Estonia.  100percent of Ivangorod's wastewater is currently dumped in the Narva River untreated.  

 

The sale of municipal water treatment equipment is, to alarge degree, determined by available financing.  The city authorities continually work with Russia's federalgovernment and with national and international financial organizations of othercountries to obtain access to foreign sources of crediting and finance.  The success of many Europeanenvironmental companies that have recently distributed their technologies inNorthwest Russia is primarily explained by their ability to provide creditlines along with equipment.  ThoseU.S. companies that are prepared to offer financing on a relatively smallproject may easily count on future orders in the region.

 

The city of St. Petersburg, the largest city in NorthwestRussia and the second largest city in the Russian Federation, is an exceptionfrom the general lack of development of municipal water treatmentfacilities.  The St. Petersburgwater company Vodokanal-St. Petersburg is considered to be one of thebest-managed municipal water companies in Russia.  Due to its continuous contacts with foreign suppliers andfunds, personnel training, and financial independence from the city budget,Vodokanal has implemented more environmental programs in the past three yearsthan any other municipal water company and is now the major buyer of water treatmentequipment in the region.  Accordingto Vodokanal experts, the quality of drinking water in St. Petersburg hasconsiderably improved over the past several years.  However, the majority of St. Petersburg’s population stilldoes not drink tap water, since it still contains bacteria and has a highmineral content.  Local water,which is either boiled or filtered before consumption, is especially dangerousfor non-residents.

 

The city of St. Petersburg still faces numerousenvironmental problems.  Currently,only 70 percent of sewage water in St. Petersburg is purified, while the rest,over 1 million of cubic meters per day, goes directly to the Gulf ofFinland.  According to the HelsinkiConference resolutions that were adopted by the Baltic Sea countries, it isplanned to restore the Baltic Sea environments to its 1940 level by 2008. 

 

One of the most problematic regions in Northwest Russia interms of water treatment is the Archangelsk Region.  Despite the decrease in production volumes of the two majorpulp and paper plants, the water quality in local rivers has deteriorated; intwo years, the content of organic substances in the water has doubled.  The reasons were the discharge ofwastewater during the 1997 emergency close-up of the water treatment facilitiesand poor performance of the local biological treatment plant.  The sea ports and the Navy bases ofArchangelsk and Severodvinsk continue to pollute the river of Northern Dvina,the major source of drinking water for those cities, where tap water ischaracterized by a high level of bacteria.  There is a serious problem with water supply in the city ofKotlas due to continuous oil spills into the Limenda River.  According to the 1997 research on WhiteSea pollution, the primary source of pollution was the flow from the riverscarrying a high amount of wastewater from the pulp and paper industry, energycompanies, and sea and river vessels. In 1997, together with the river flow, the Dvina Gulf of the White Seareceived 4,000 tons of oil products and over 100 tons of phenols. 

 

The 1998 financial crisis in Russia led to considerablechanges in the economic trends of Northwest Russia's economies andindustries.  The most noticeableimpacts of the local currency devaluation in 1998 were the fast growth of localindustries (due to decreased imports) and the suspension of most foreign andlocal investments into local industries. With no investments, local manufacturers were unable to implement anyenvironmental upgrades to their facilities.  However, by the end of 1999, the investment climate hadwarmed up, due to both political (elections to the Federal Duma) and economic(stable development of those local companies that had survived after thecrisis) reasons.  Localgovernmental and business representatives in all regions in Northwest Russianow expect that after the Presidential Elections in March 2000, investments inindustrial business will grow considerably.  New foreign investment and the increased buying power oflocal industries should result in strong opportunities for suppliers ofindustrial wastewater treatment equipment to implement their technologies atboth newly constructed and upgraded facilities.

 

It is estimated that the best prospects for U.S. watertreatment equipment in Northwest Russia in the next five years will be:

 

in the private industrial sector, in particular, inexport-oriented and other fast growing industries (metal, oil and gas, pulp andpaper, pharmaceuticals, automotive, consumer goods);

in municipal and governmental water improvement projectssupported by international financing.

 

PROJECTS IN ST. PETERSBURG

 

In 1999, the major source of finance for environmental pilotprojects in St. Petersburg continued to be the EU program TACIS.  In 1998-99, TACIS's total projectfinancing in the city was Euro 50 million, 21 percent of which was used forenvironmental projects (Euro 10.5 million).  One of the most important projects was the management ofhazardous wastes in Krasny Bor (Leningrad Region).  Another project was the up-grade of the energy andwastewater systems of the Izhora Plant, one of the largest metallurgicalcompanies in St. Petersburg.  The largest project completed last year in St. Petersburg was thereconstruction of sewage pipelines in the center of the city.  The project took 20 months and cost USD35 million.  

 

Vodokanal's plans include similar projects in other citydistricts in the future.  In 2000,TACIS-funded environmental projects include reconstruction of the southwesternwater purification facilities in St. Petersburg (about USD 2 million), andtechnical assistance for the development of energy-saving and environmentaltechnologies (USD 10 million).

 

Smaller projects currently under development includeinstallation of water treatment equipment in Pushkin and Petrodvorets, suburbsof St. Petersburg; restoration of sewage systems at the Baltiysky Plant; andconstruction of water treatment facilities in the new residential districtsassigned to former military officers.

 

To comply with the resolutions of the Helsinki Conference,Vodokanal-St. Petersburg has a program to construct new sewage collectors andwater purification facilities for full treatment of wastewater, which isscheduled for completion by 2005.    

 

In July 1999, the European Bank for Reconstruction andDevelopment (EBRD) and Vodokanal of St. Petersburg signed a loan agreement forDM 35 million to implement a program to improve St. Petersburg's watersector.  The first tranche of thisloan has already been transferred to Vodokanal. 

 

A good source of information on on-going and scheduledprojects in St. Petersburg is the Environmental Information Center that wasestablished in 1999 with the support of the Finnish and Dutch environmentalagencies (see contact information).

 

PROJECTS IN OTHER REGIONS

 

Murmansk Region:

-  TACIS isfunding a project to establish an environmental monitoring system on the PazRiver;  

- A five-year program "Nature" received USD 1million from Norway’s Ministry of Industry and Power Engineering.  On the Russian side, it is funded bythe Murmansk Regional Environmental Fund. The program includes implementation of environmentally friendlytechnologies at industrial enterprises (e.g., Monchegorsk Nickel Plant) in thenorthern parts of the Murmansk and Archangelsk regions; and

- "Improvement of Drinking Water Quality in theNorthern Regions of Russia". The feasibility study for this project was completed by Berlinghaug(Norway).  Currently, the MurmanskAdministration is seeking investors for this project, which may be partiallyfunded by Norway’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.

 

Archangelsk Region: 

- One of the priority governmental programs is the Programfor the Development of Water Supply and Sewage Systems in the Region'sCities;  

- The local government is working on the program"Environmental Safety of the Archangelsk Region" to be included as asub-program of the federal program "Environmental Safety ofRussia";  - As a part of theFederal Program "Drinking Water Supply to the Russian Cities", thereis a project for the construction of a water supply pipeline from thePermilovsk water wells to Archangelsk, Novodvinsk, and Severodvinsk; and

- Several separate projects are scheduled to up-gradewastewater treatment facilities at the region's major pulp and paper mills,Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill and Archangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill. 

 

Vologda Region: 

Water improvement projects are related to the development ofthe region's major industries and constructing or expanding productionfacilities at such large companies as: 

- Azot (manufacturing of carbamide and other fertilizers); 

- Sokol Pulp and Paper Mill; 

- VologdaBiotech (organic fertilizers); and 

- RuspromService (gas stations and car washingfacilities).  

 

As an example of the steps successful domestic industriesare taking to solve water-related problems, Severstal, the major steel milllocated in Cherepovets, recently purchased modern closed-cycle technology forindustrial wastewater treatment, which considerably improved the generalenvironment in the city and in the Sheksna River.  

 

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

 

The strongest competitors to American exporters of watertreatment equipment are Scandinavian and other European firms, which, inmarketing their products, rely on the considerable support of their home governments.  These companies have become acquaintedwith European environmental programs and successfully use them to finance salesof their technologies to Russian end-users.  Domestic manufacturers compete with foreign importersprimarily with low prices, not with quality products.  The three major keys to success in this market are:  a continuous presence, collaborationwith domestic partners, and availability of financing sources.

  

Domestic Production:

 

Environmental equipment produced in Russia is inferior tothat manufactured in the United States and Europe and does not generally meetWestern standards.  With theemergence of a Russian environmental services industry, the quality of localequipment is improving.  On thewhole, environmental equipment produced locally, without any collaboration withforeign firms, will not compete with imported equipment on quality for at leastanother three years.  However, forRussian end-users of such equipment, the major competitive factor is pricing,and Russian-made equipment has a significant cost advantage over westerntechnologies.

 

Domestic production of water treatment equipment includesthe following products: environmental monitoring devices; wastewater treatmentinstallations; water pollution control equipment; ozonizers; aerators; filtersfor drinking water and wastewater treatment; and drinking water pretreatmentequipment.

 

A list of the major Russian producers of water treatmentequipment includes such companies as: Lenvodopribor (St. Petersburg); Vodokanal St. Petersburg; LenNIIChimmash(St. Petersburg); MosVodokanalproject (Moscow); KurganChimmash (Kurgan); Pecom Ecology(Moscow); Tyumengastechnology (Tyumen); Water-Machine Equipment Plant(Voronezh); Noosphere (Moscow); Biovit (Yekaterinburg); NIIOSugol (Perm); and others (see contact list).

 

Imports:

 

German firms lead the total import market in Russia with a30 percent share.  German companiesexport all types of environmental equipment, including water pollutioncontrols.  The list of German watertreatment companies includes Siemens, BASF, Bekker Verfahrenstechnik, Klockner,Ravema-Industrianlagen, KHD Humbolt Wedag, and others.  The success of German exporters inpenetrating the Russian market is a result of their aggressive pricing andon-the-ground presence strategy. About 15 percent of the market in Russia is attributed to the NISrepublics, primarily to Ukraine, while Scandinavian countries (Finland, Sweden)hold about 10 percent. 

 

However, in Northwest Russia, market shares in watertreatment equipment are divided differently.  In this region, the Finnish, Danish, and German firmsdominate the water treatment sector. Northwest Russia's geographic proximity to Scandinavia (Leningrad Oblastand Karelia border Finland, Murmansk borders Norway), with direct waterconnections to the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea, and the Arctic region,environmental issues are of mutual importance and of mutual concern to thegovernments of  Russia and thebordering countries. Home-government support is a factor that continues to help keepScandinavian companies highly competitive.  Many European countries have adopted a strategy of tyingenvironmental funding to the requirement that their country's environmentalequipment or services be purchased with the proceeds of any loans from thatcountry.

 

For example, the Finnish national budget annually includesaround USD 6-8 million in appropriations to support environmental projects inEastern Europe.  The Ministry ofEnvironment of Finland has also allocated funds to international financialinstitutions (the World Bank, the EBRD and the Northern Investment Bank (NIB))for environmental projects in the Baltic Sea region.

 

Many European competitors of U.S. environmental firmsparticipate in such EU-funded programs as TACIS.  According to the TACIS Environmental Support Facility, theTACIS program for 1996-99 spent about 15 million ECU for environmentalprojects.  The managers of the programemphasize continuing efforts to attract investments to St. Petersburg andNorthwest Russia.

 

The total amount of technical assistance funds to St.Petersburg allocated by Western European countries in 1999 was approximatelythe same as in the previous years: TACIS (European Union) – USD 52 million;  Technical Assistance of Finland – USD 12.5 million;  Transform Program (Germany) – USD 5.2million;  PSO (Netherlands) – USD1.9 million;  the Danish TechnicalAssistance Program – USD 3.7 million; Sweden – USD 5 million;  andGreat Britain – USD 10 million.  The percentage of these funds spent on environmental issues varies fromcountry to country but, on the average, it is between 20 and 30 percent.

 

Following are some examples of the activities of Europeangovernments in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region in relation to the watertreatment industry, which were reported in 1999:

 

- Swedish Development Agency:  a grant to study the Leningrad Region’s sewage system;

 

- Ministry of Environment of Finland:  training programs for St. Petersburgexperts, including Vodokanal specialists; research together with 10 research centers in St. Petersburg to work tofind

practical measures to improve the environmentalsituation.  For the past 5 years,the Finnish Government granted FIM 67 million for environmental projects in St.Petersburg.

 

- British Know-How Fund:  cooperation with Vodokanal in the framework of an EBRDproject, including a one-year study involving Sweden, Finland, Denmark, France,and Germany;  a co-financed projectwith Finland for tackling wastewater problems;

 

- Denmark:  awastewater treatment system in small villages; reconstruction of sewage pipesin the area of the Hermitage's buildings; a pilot project for water supply and sewage system in

Petrodvorets (a suburb);  restoration of water pipelines in the city center;  water purification facilities of thesea ports in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea;  wastewater treatment facilities at the Baltiyski Plant.  There are currently 14 environmentalprojects funded by the Danish Agency of Environmental Protection at a totalcost of DC 41 million;

 

- Norway:  theMinistry of Environmental Protection of Norway allocated NOK 14 million for anenvironmental training program for industrial engineers from Murmansk,Archangelsk, and Karelia. 

 

Unfortunately, the U.S. Agency for International Developmenthas closed its office in St. Petersburg, and USAID activities in Moscow haverecently been very limited in terms of environmental project financing.  However, U.S. companies can alsoparticipate in international projects that engage various foreign suppliers andmeans of funding.  The Trade andDevelopment Agency (TDA) is financing feasibility studies conducted by U.S.consultants and also helps companies to work with the World Bank, Export-ImportBank and other financial institutions. U.S. companies that have received TDA grants have successfully competedwith other foreign participants in a number of environment-relatedtenders.   Also, the SpecialAmerican Business Internship Training Program (SABIT) offers grants to U.S.companies that are willing to host specialists from the Newly IndependentStates and thus to develop close business links with the firms theyrepresent.  In addition toindividual internship programs, SABIT has scheduled several group programs inthe environmental sector for the year 2000, including:

- Environmental Technologies in Mining (January – February,2000);

- Environmental Technologies in Pulp and Paper Industry(April – May, 2000);  and

- Air Pollution Area (June – July, 2000).

 

The four keys to the success of any competitive strategyare:

 

- Pricing:  Withsmall budgets for environmental projects, Russian municipalities andenterprises will choose a more cost-effective proposal.

- Credit terms: Bringing financing together with technology can in many cases be decisivein the competition;  when offeringa technology, a U.S. supplier or consultant should also propose means ofinvolving financial institutions to finance a project.

- Partnership with local companies:  Collaboration with local partners whocan lobby for a project.

- Representation: It is of great importance to continuously promote services andtechnologies in the targeted area and to become well known to the localenvironment-related agencies.

 

END-USER ANALYSIS

 

The two basic groups of end-users of water treatmentequipment are government municipalities and private enterprises.

 

Until the beginning of the 1990s, orders for environmentalequipment in Russia were primarily government-initiated, and up to 2 percent ofGNP was allocated to environmental protection measures and equipmentpurchases.  Roughly 80 percent ofthis amount was for water control facilities, including a large portion forwater-recirculation systems.  Nowthe responsibility for such environmental infrastructure projects as drinkingwater facilities, wastewater treatment plants, and waste management facilitieslies with the programs and budgets of municipalities.

 

In most cities in Northwest Russia, water supply and sewagesystems are operated and maintained by municipal companies called Vodokanals("water+sewage"), although in some smaller towns sewage facilitiescan be run by a large industrial entity, which is usually responsible for alsosupplying power and heating to the area. Vodokanals are normally budgeted by the city.  The St. Petersburg's Vodokanal, as well as those in otherlarge cities in Northwest Russia such as Murmansk, Kalinigrad, andPetrazavodsk, is a self-financed organization, although 100 percent owned bythe city of St. Petersburg.  It isvery unlikely that Vodokanals will be privatized in the near future and thesemunicipal companies will continue to hold monopolies on water supply and sewagein their respective areas.   

 

Private industrial companies are potential customers forwastewater treatment equipment to be installed at their own facilities. 

 

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Municipal Vodokanals 

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Vodokanals have three customer groups who use water supplyand sewage pipelines: 1. municipal population; 2. government-owned agencies(schools, hospitals, military units, etc.); and 3. industries.  The tariffs for tap water and sewagefor the first two groups are regulated and restricted by the federal andmunicipal governments.  Althoughthe costs of all communal services for the population have been growing overthe past five years, the government cannot immediately and drastically increasethe tariffs for these groups for "social reasons", which means thatthe highest payment burden for these services rests on industrial enterprises.  In 1997-98, the shares of differentconsumers of Vodokanals' services were estimated as follows (in percent):

 

Population            GovernmentAgencies            Industries

 

Water supply            46.7                 14.3                                         39.0

Sewage            44.1                 12.7                                         43.2

 

Smaller towns in the region have their own wastewatertreatment facilities, which will be scheduled for upgrading in the nearfuture.  These facilities are runby the local Vodokanals in most towns, except for those cities that have majorindustrial enterprises that operate the water treatment facilities.  Examples include Boksitogorsk, Volkhov,Kirishi, and Slantsy in the Leningrad Oblast, Cherepovets in the VologdaOblast, Monchegorsk in the Murmansk Oblast, etc.  If we take the Leningrad Oblast, a large region that bordersthe Baltic Sea, as an example, the oblast's sewage goes through 19 sewagefacilities, 9 of which are reported to be inefficient since the volume ofsewage waters exceeds their capacities. In total, there are 397 wastewater treatment facilities in the LeningradOblast with the total design capacity of 629 million m3 annually.  According to official statistics, only390 million m3 are actually sufficiently treated before being discharged intowater reservoirs.  In fact, sinceofficial data is not reliable, the amount of wastewater that needs to bepurified could be much higher.

 

Vodokanal of St. Petersburg is one of the best-managedmunicipal water companies in the Russian Federation.  It was the first water company that received a direct loanfrom EBRD (not through the city administration or through the federalagencies), about USD 150 million that have been used for the improvement of thewater supply systems in St. Petersburg. In 1999, EBRD approved another DM 35 million loan to Vodokanal-St.Petersburg.  Although the companyis owned by the city of St. Petersburg, Vodokanal does not depend on the citybudget.  In some cases, it may actas a dealer for technology suppliers. For example, to resolve a problem of the landfill for sewage sludge,Vodokanal used a technology for dewatering and sludge incineration offered by aFrench company OTV.  The total costof the waste treatment plant construction (first two phases) was Rb 450million, half of which was provided as an intergovernmental Russian-Frenchcredit.  To pay off the loan,Vodokanal plans to distribute the French technology throughout Russia.  

 

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Industries

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In the early 1990s, there was little incentive forindustries to implement environment-friendly practices, and municipalenvironmental funds received little revenue from fees, penalties, and lawsuitsagainst polluters.  Now localauthorities have developed a relationship between the municipality’senvironmental fund and companies that use natural resources that shouldmotivate enterprises to implement environmentally-friendly technologies and toproduce environmentally friendly products.  This plan assesses significant penalties and charges forwaste discharges and use of natural resources, and provides short-term creditsand privileges for implementing environmentally safe practices andtechnologies.

 

Although industrial companies may gain operating costadvantages from reducing pollution, there are still few private enterprisesthat can afford the required capital investments.  The key to selling wastewater treatment equipment to Russianindustries is to seek involvement in the numerous non-environmental upgradeprojects that include wastewater treatment as a part of the project's generalrequirements.  Such projects may befinanced from various sources, including international funding.

 

Northwest Russia is a very industrial area with severalindustries that are likely to use their own funds for wastewater management inthe next three years:  oil and gas(Murmansk, Archangelsk), energy (St. Petersburg, Murmansk), mining (Murmansk),metal production (aluminum, nickel, iron and steel) (Leningrad Oblast, Vologda,Murmansk), and chemicals (Vologda, St. Petersburg).  In the Leningrad region, for example, the HelsinkiConvention on Baltic Sea Protection lists 27 industrial enterprises as havingthe largest impact on the pollution levels in the Gulf of Finland.  These include the Volkhov AluminumMill, Kirishi Oil Refinery, Slantsy Processing Plant, Syas Pulp and Paper Mill,Vyborg Pulp and Paper Mill, and Boksitigorsk Alumina Mill.  See the contact list for thesecompanies in this region.

 

Foreign-owned business ventures represent another possiblyattractive market opportunity for U.S. suppliers.  Russian-foreign joint ventures, including manufacturing,have been successfully operating in Northwest Russia for at least five years,and it is expected that foreign investment will start to increase againfollowing the presidential elections in 2000.

 

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Local Research and Development Companies

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Both municipalities and industries work closely with localresearch institutions to develop environmentally related projects.  Research centers providerecommendations on which suppliers to use and how to combine domestic andforeign equipment in a project.

 

Scientific research in water treatment has been primarilyfocused on environmental problems in chemical, oil, and pulp and paperindustries, with the main task of developing new wastewater recyclingtechnologies (closed looped water consumption).  The major research centers working in these areas are theinstitutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Research Center forEnvironmental Safety, the Research Institute of High-Molecular Compounds);higher educational establishments (the Technological Institute, theTechnological University of Plant Polymers); and other research centers(Plastpolymer Research and Production Center, Research Institute of Paper, andInstitute of Applied Chemistry). Theories of wastewater recycling for other industries are also developedby the Institute of Geology, the Northwest Polytechnical Institute, TechnicalUniversity, and the "Rubin" laboratories.  Technologies, procedures and equipment for sewagedecontamination that recovers heavy metals (the by-products of galvanicprocesses and etching, plate-making in printing industry, etc.) are studied anddeveloped at the Institute of Applied Chemistry, the Research Institute ofChemistry of St. Petersburg University, the University of Light Industry,"Pigment" Co, and some others. 

 

MARKET ACCESS

 

There are no insurmountable obstacles to penetrate thissector of the Russian market. However, administrative and competitive factors present substantialchallenges to American companies wishing to establish themselves in Russia.

 

Import duties can be quite high, from 5 to 20 percent, fordifferent types of equipment, although for many types of environmentalequipment, for example analytical devices, import taxes can be waived.  Also, Russian importers will pay avalue-added tax, which is currently levied at a 20 percent rate.

 

To be imported and installed, environmental equipment mustreceive appropriate certification by Russian authorities, which issuecertificates of conformity to Russian standards.  Normally, Russian certification centers require thatimported equipment should be tested by one of the local testing centersaccredited by GOSSTANDART (Russian State Standards Committee), the primaryRussian standards organization. However, local end-user of water treatment equipment report that incases of deliveries of equipment to be used for large municipal projects,actual testing is not really required, and certificates of conformity areissued based on foreign certificates of safety provided by the exportingcompanies.  Detailed information onthe certification process and the taxation system can be found in BISNISBulletins (U.S. Department of Commerce Business Information Service for theNewly Independent States) and FCS reports.

 

There are no formal distribution channels in NorthwestRussia for sales of industrial or municipal water treatment equipment andservices.  Vendors target specificcustomers and make direct sales. When international financing is involved, the funding organization mayalso become involved in the discussions leading to a business agreement.

 

U.S. firms should invest time and resources in establishingstrong relationships with potential clients and the city administration.  The first sale can be difficult andtime consuming but it is also a key to gaining recognition and futuresales.  In general, a continuous presencein the local market, assignment of a local representative, and regular visitsto the region help keep American suppliers informed of market changes andopportunities, which may sometimes be unexpected.  Participation in local environmental trade shows andconferences as well as in a periodic event called “Environmental Week” is oneof the ways that a U.S. supplier can market its water treatment equipment.  Information on such events is availableat C S, St. Petersburg and from the U.S. Department of Commerce's NationalTrade Data Bank.  

 

A firm that has such constant sources of information on themarket can also find itself in a better competitive position when it chooses toparticipate in a municipal tender. Local practice

shows that once a tender is officially announced andpublished by the St. Petersburg or regional administration, there is littletime for bidders to prepare the required documents and, what is

probably more important, to establish an initialunderstanding with the local agencies involved.  Usually, a bid winner has knowledge of an upcoming tenderannouncement in advance, either from its local partners or its ownrepresentatives.  Another way ofbecoming involved in an environmental tender is to establish timely cooperationwith a local winner and act as its subcontractor in a number of works includedin the water treatment project.

 

Price remains an important issue for municipalbudget-dependent organizations, which are major customers for water treatmenttechnologies.  In other cases, whenthe purchase is made by a

customer with available funds (a chemical or metal enterprise,for example) or where funding is provided by an international financinginstitution, price may be not so important.  Successful financing of environmental purchases can beobtained from multilateral organizations mentioned in this report.  The World Bank normally seeksgovernment guarantees for their loans. Loans provided by EBRD and the U.S. Overseas Private InvestmentCorporation (OPIC) are more fully commercial, but still offer lower interestrates than those available from commercial banks.  OPIC also offers political risk insurance for U.S. companiesinvesting in Russia.

 

KEY CONTACTS:

 

FEDERAL AGENCIES:

 

State Committee for Environmental Protection of the RussianFederation

Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, Chairman

4/6, Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Ul., Moscow 123812, Russia

tel: 7 (095) 254-7683

fax: 7 (095) 254-8283

Federal Environmental Fund

Tel: 7 (095) 124-0444

Pavel Anisimov, Chairman

 

Ministry for Natural Resources of the Russian Federation

4/6, Bolshaya Gruzinskaya ul., Moscow, 123812, Russia

tel:  7 (095)254-7633

fax: 7 (095) 254-4310; 254-6610

Viktor Orlov, Minister

 

Department of Water Supply

6-B, Orlikov per., Moscow, 107139, Russia

tel: 7 (095) 207-8012

Oleg Kazantsev, Chief

 

Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation

1-3, ul.Tverskaya-Yamskaya, A-47, Moscow, 125818, Russia

tel: 7 (095) 200-0745

fax: 7 (095) 251-6965

Andrey Shapovalyants, Minister

 

MUNICIPAL AND REGIONAL AGENCIES:

 

Committee for Environmental Protection and Natural Resourcesfor St. Petersburg 

and Leningrad Oblast (a regional branch of the Ministry ofEcology)

Alexey Frolov, Chairman

Sergey Yermolov, Head of International Department

29, Bolshaya Konyushennaya ul., St. Petersburg, 191186,Russia

tel: 7-(812)-312-3682; 311-0617

fax: 7-(812)-312-7977

 

Office for Environmental Protection, St. Petersburg CityAdministration 

Smolny, St. Petersburg, 193060, Russia

tel: 7-(812)-278-1119

fax: 7-(812)-278-1237

 

Office of Environmental Protection, St. Petersburg CityAdministration

Anatoly Bayev, Director

Smolny, St.Petersburg, 193060, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 278-1067

fax: 7 (812) 278-1506

 

LenMorZaschita (Sea Protection Department)

10/7, Admiralteyskaya nab., St. Petersburg, Russia

Vladimir Lesogorov, Deputy Director

Tel: 7 (812) 312-3538

Fax: 7 (812) 312-4027

 

ECAT (Environmental Center for Administration andTechnology)

Yelena Titova, Manager

25/11, 2 Linia V.O., St. Petersburg, 199053, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 218-7924

fax: 7 (812) 218-1441

 

Center for Environmental Safety

18, ul. Korpusnaya, St. Petersburg, Russia

Alexander Voronov, Head of Lab

Tel: 7 (812) 230-7940

Fax: 7 (812) 235-4361

 

Vodokanal St. Petersburg

Felix Karmazinov, Director General

42, ul. Kavalergardskaya, St. Petersburg, 193015, Russia

tel: 7-(812)-274-1090

fax: 7-(812)-274-1361

 

Committee for Environmental Protection, ArchangelskAdministration

49, Troitsky pr., Archangelsk, 163061, Russia

Viktor Kuznetsov, Deputy Chairman

Tel: 7 (8182) 494-150

Fax: 7 (8182) 447-504

 

Institute of Ecological Problems

57, ul. Vyucheiskogo, Archangelsk, 163046, Russia

Nikolay Afanasyev, Deputy Director for Science

Tel: 7 (8182) 441-162

Fax: 7 (8182) 490-020

 

Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic ofKarelia

9, ul. Dzerzhinskogo, Petrazavodsk, 185035, Russia

Mikhail Fedchenko, Minister

Boris Zubkovich, Chief of Water Protection Department

Tel: 7 (81422) 73656

Fax: 7 (81422) 73656

 

PRODUCT CERTIFICATION:

 

GOSSTANDART

9, Leninsky pr., Moscow, 117049, Russia

tel: 7 (095) 236-4044

fax: 7 (095) 237-6037

 

Test-St.Petersburg

Yury Gulynin, Deputy Director

1, ul. Kurlyandskaya, St. Petersburg, 198103, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 251-4859

fax: 7 (812) 251-4108

 

RESEARCH CENTERS:

 

Research Institute of Environment and Reserve Affairs(VNIPRIRODA)

Znamenskoye-Sadki, Moscow 113628, Russia

tel: 7 (095) 423-0322

 

Russian State Hydrometeorological Institute

3, pr. Metallistov, St. Petersburg, 195027, Russia

Alexander Gavrilov, Director

Tel: 7 (812) 224-3039

Fax: 7 (812) 221-4132

 

Russian Integrated Research and Design Institute for WaterSupply,

Sewage, Hydraulic and Hydrogeology Engineering (NIIVODGEO)

42, Komsomolsky pr., Moscow 119826, Russia

tel: 7 (095) 242-5217

fax: 7 (095) 242-1565

 

LenVodokanalProject Design Institute

5, ul. Torzhkovskaya, St. Petersburg, 197342, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 246-6585

fax: 7 (812) 325-2630

 

Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences,Council on

Ecology and Natural Resources

tel: 7-(812)-213-3025

fax: 7-(812)-213-3025

 

Russian Scientific Center "Applied Chemistry"

14, pr. Dobrolyubova, St. Petersburg, 197198, Russia

tel: 7-(812)-238-9484

fax: 7-(812)-232-5523

 

State Special Marine Environment Inspection

V.I. Sokolov, Head

13, 12 Linia V.O., St. Petersburg, 199178, Russia

tel: 7-(812)-213-0266

fax: 7-(812)-213-0266

 

Nevskgeologia Co

40/7, Kondratyevsky pr., St. Petersburg, 195197, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 540-4411

fax: 7 (812) 272-2392

 

Petersburg Engineering Center for Environmental Projects

S.L. Korovitsky, Director

tel: 7-(812)-213-0322

fax: 7-(812)-218-8080

 

Engineering Center for Environmental Works

Vladimir Reshetov, Director

40/7, Kondratyevsky pr., St. Petersburg, 195197, Russia

tel: 7-(812)-541-3107

fax: 7-(812)-272-2392

 

Khlopin Institute of Radium

28, pr. Shvernika, St. Petersburg, 194021, Russia

tel: 7-(812)-534-9523

fax: 7-(812)-247-5781

 

St. Petersburg State University of Architecture andConstruction

4, 2 Krasnoarmeyskaya ul., St. Petersburg, Russia

tel: 7-(812)-316-9965

fax: 7-(812)-316-5872

 

All-Russia Institute of Geophysics (VIRG)

20, ul. Fayansovaya, St. Petersburg, 193019, Russia

tel: 7-(812)-567-5037

fax: 7-(812)-567-8741

 

All-Russia Design Institute of Energy Technologies(VNIIPIET)

82, ul. Savushkina, St. Petersburg, 197228, Russia

tel: 7-(812)-239-0393

fax: 7-(812)-239-1898

 

North-West State Monitoring Center of EnvironmentalPollution

A.G. Degtyarev, Director

tel: 7-(812)-213-6619

fax: 7-(812)-218-0962

 

Projectgazoochistka Ltd

6, Smolensky pr., St. Petersburg, 193029, Russia

Mark Bargman, Chief Engineer

Tel: 7 (812) 567-4900; 265-1819

Fax: 7 (812) 567-4900

 

Research Center for Environmental Safety for Russia'sAcademy of Sciences

18, ul. Korpusnaya, St. Petersburg, 197042, Russia

Vladislav Donchenko, Director

Ludmila Romanyuk, Secretary for Science

Tel: 7 (812) 230-7836; 230-7936

Fax: 7 (812) 235-4361

e-mail: [email protected]

 

RAND Center

Yury Nikolayev, Director

tel: 7-(812)-534-6718 

      

AKVA, Russian Academy of Sciences

9, 26 Line V.O., St. Petersburg, 199026, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 217-8190

fax: 7 (812) 217-7798

 

Vodokanal Engineering Center

40, 17 Line V.O., St. Petersburg, 199178, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 355-8387

fax: 7 (812) 355-8274

 

Gipronichel Institute

11, Grazhdansky pr., St. Petersburg, Russia

tel/fax: 7 (812) 535-8333

 

Vodoproject Institute

8, ul. Kronshtadskaya, St. Petersburg, 198096, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 183-1555

fax: 7 (812) 183-3237

 

Gidropribor

13, Vyborgskaya nab., St. Petersburg, 195009, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 542-9946

fax: 7 (812) 542-9659

 

Hydrological Institute

23, 2 Linia V.O., St. Petersburg, 199053, Russia

Igor Shiklomanov, Director

Irina Petrova, Senior Specialist

Tel: 7 (812) 213-3517; 213-3447

Fax: 7 (812) 213-1028; 213-3447

 

MANEB (International Academy of Environmental Safety)

9a, 26 Linia V.O., St. Petersburg, 199026, Russia

Viktor Rogalev, Director

Tel: 7 (812) 217-0451

Fax: 7 (812) 217-0077

 

Archangelsk State Technical University

17, nab. Severnoy Dviny, Archangelsk, 163007, Russia

Konstantin Bogolitsin, Head of Physical Chemistry Department

 Tel: 7 (8182)449-131; 449-348

Fax: 7 (8182) 441-146

 

Doverie

Archangelsk, Russia

Yury Sadovnikov, Director General

Tel/fax: 7 (8182) 653-711

 

Committee for Environmental Protection, MurmanskAdministration

Murmansk Administration, Murmansk, Russia

Ivan Vishnyakov, Chairman

Anatoly Kostin, Expert on Environmental Projects

Tel: 7 (8152) 560-377; 565-969

 

GosZhilCom (Committee for Residential Issues), MurmanskAdministration

Murmansk Administration, Murmansk, Russia

Yury Dunin, Director

Tel: 7 (8152) 452-792

Fax: 7 (8152) 476-759

 

DOMESTIC PRODUCERS OF WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT

 

Water-Machine Equipment Plant

111, per. Truda, Voronezh, 394360, Russia

tel: 7 (0732) 160-200

 

Biovit

19, ul. Shartashskaya, Room 110, Yekaterinburg, 620219,Russia

tel: 7 (3432) 554-317

fax: 7 (3432) 554-232

 

Noosphere

Moscow

tel: 7 (095) 298-5342; 298-0302

fax: 7 (095) 298-0302; 387-4975

 

NIISugol

Perm, 614000, Russia

tel: 7 (3422) 329-529

 

Aqua Vers

6/8, ul. Pisareva, St. Petersburg, 190121, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 114-7604

fax: 7 (812) 114-7589

 

Vodopribor

14, ul. Dnepropetrovskaya, St. Petersburg, 192007, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 166-2392

fax: 7 (812) 166-3950

 

LenNIIChimmash

9, ul. Nevskogo, St. Petersburg, 193167, Russia

tel/fax: 7 (812) 274-0888

 

MosvodokanalNIIproject

4, Pleteshkovsky per., Moscow, 107005, Russia

tel: 7 (095) 261-5384

fax: 7 (095) 261-7775

 

Tyumengastechnology

213-B, Tyumen 625016 Russia

tel: 7 (3452) 211-887

fax: 7 (3452) 214-746

 

Volkhovgips Association

29, Kirovsky pr., Leningrad Oblast, 187400, Russia

Oleg Ivanov, Director

Tel: 7 (81263) 27232; 27838

Fax: 7 (81263) 12200

 

DISTRIBUTORS AND USERS

 

Bicom

7, 20 Linia V.O., St. Petersburg, 199026, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 320-5559

fax: 7 (812) 320-5560

e-mail: [email protected]

 

Vinco

47, ul. Prof.Popova, Office 826, St. Petersburg, 197022,Russia

tel: 7 (812) 234-1869

fax: 7 (812) 230-7248

 

VodoteploService

7-25, 2 Linia V.O., St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 323-0195

fax: 7 (812) 304-4986

 

National Water Resources Ltd

5, ul. Torzhkovskaya, Office 410A, St. Petersburg, 197342,Russia

tel: 7 (812) 324-4001

fax: 7 (812) 324-4011

e-mail: [email protected]

 

Ecotrade-Akva

13, ul. Goncharnaya, St. Petersburg, 193036, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 277-3072

fax: 7 (812) 277-2261

e-mail: [email protected]

 

Municipal Water Purification Co

17A, ul. Uralskaya, St. Petersburg, 199155, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 325-9263

fax: 7 (812) 352-1404

 

Osko

50, Kamennoostrovsky pr., St. Petersburg, 197022, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 327-5252

fax: 7 (812) 325-1346

e-mail: [email protected]

 

Osmos

14, nab.Obvodnogo Kanala, St. Petersburg, 193019, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 567-3587

fax: 7 (812) 567-3587

e-mail: [email protected]

 

Pirometer

16, ul. B.Monetnaya. St. Petersburg, 197101. Russia

tel: 7 (812) 238-7245

fax: 7 (812) 233-8306

e-mail: [email protected]

 

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS:

 

American Chamber of Commerce, St. Petersburg Chapter

Sviatoslav Bytchkov, Executive Director

25, Nevsky pr., Atrium, St. Petersburg, Russia

tel: 7 (812) 326-2590

fax: 7 (812) 326-2591

 

Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

6, Ilyinka, Moscow, 103684, Russia

tel: 7-(095)-929-0286

fax: 7-(095)-929-0356

 

Russian Guild of Commerce

18/3, 1 Tverskaya-Yamskaya ul., Office 427, Moscow, 125047,Russia

Mikhail Mikheyev, President

Tel: 7 (095) 251-4559

Fax: 7 (095) 250-4561

 

Vologda Chamber of Commerce and Industry

29. ul. Lermontova, Vologda, 160035, Russia

Galina Telegina, President

Tel: 7 (8172) 721-480

Fax: 7 (8172) 723-258

e-mail: [email protected]

 

Kola Business Development Center (KBDC)

3, Tersky Lane, Murmansk, 183038, Russia

Igor Romanenko, Director

Tel: 7 (8152) 428-645

Fax: 7 (8152) 428-645

e-mail: [email protected]

 

North Chamber of Commerce and Industry

10, per. Rusanova, Murmansk, 183766, Russia

Sergey Semenov, Deputy Chairman

Tel: 7 (8152) 472-999

Fax: 7 (8152) 473-978

e-mail: [email protected]

Web Site: www.murmanweb.an.ru/ncci

 

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Karelia

4, ul. Engelsa, Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 185035, Russia

Alexander Pankratov, President

Tel/fax: 7 (8142) 773-040

e-mail: [email protected]

Web Site: http://chamber.karelia.ru

 

Pskov Chamber of Commerce and Industry

15a, ul. Sovetskaya, Pskov, 180000, Russia

Vladimir Zubov, President

Tel: 7 (8112) 163-883; 223-660

Fax: 7 (8112) 160-052; 233-887

 

TRADE EVENTS:

 

THE BIG CITY'S ECOLOGY, TRADE SHOW

Organizer: LenExpo,

Gavan, St. Petersburg, Russia

tel/fax: 7 (812) 356-3560

Web Site: www.lenexpo.ru

 

ENVIRONMENTAL WEEK

Organizer: ECAT (see above)

 

In the U.S.:

WASTE EXPO

Organizer: Environmental Industry Associations

4301 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 300

Washington, DC 20008-2304

tel: (800) 424-2869

Web site: www.wasteexposhow.com

 

HAZMAT INTERNATIONAL

Organizer: Advanstar Expositions

7500 Old Oak Blvd,

Cleveland, OH 44130-3369

tel: (216) 891-2695

fax: (216) 891-2741

 

WEFTEC

Organizer: Water Environment Federation

Tel: (703) 684-2452

Fax: (703) 684-2471

e-mail: [email protected]

Web Site: www.wef.org

 

 

                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  ISA CustomerSatisfaction Survey

 

                      U.S. Department of Commerce

                  * International Trade Administration*

                         The Commercial Service

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The U.S. Department of Commerce would appreciate input fromU.S.

businesses that have used this ISA report in conductingexport

market research. Please take a few moments to complete the

attached survey and fax it to 202/482-0973, or mail it toQAS,

Rm. 2002, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.20230.

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                      * * * About Our Service * * *

 

1. Country covered by report:_______________________________

   Commercedomestic office that assisted you (if applicable):

    ________________________________________________________

 

2. How did you find out about the ISA service?

   __Directmail

  __Recommended by another firm

  __Recommended by Commerce staff

   __Tradepress

  __State/private newsletter 

  __Department of Commerce newsletter  

   __Other(specify): _______________________________

 

3. Please indicate the extent to which your objectives were

  satisfied:

   1-Verysatisfied   2-Satisfied   3-Neither satisfied nor

  dissatisfied  4-Dissatisfied   5-Verydissatisfied  

   6-Notapplicable

 

  __Overall objectives

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  __Clarity of information

  __Relevance of information

  __Delivery when promised

  __Follow-up by Commerce representative

 

4. In your opinion, did using the ISA service facilitate anyof   

  the following?

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  __Developed an export marketing plan

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   __Other(specify): _______________________________

  

5. How likely would you be to use the ISA service again?

  __Definitely would

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6. Comments: 

 

________________________________________________________

 

                      * * * About Your Firm * * * 

              

1. Number of employees:  __1-99  __100-249  __250-499  

  __500-999   __1,000+

 

2. Location (abbreviation of your state only):______

 

3. Business activity (check one):

  __Manufacturing

  __Service

   __Agent,broker, manufacturer's representative

   __Exportmanagement or trading company

   __Other(specify):_______________________________

 

4. Export shipments over the past 12 months:

  __0-1   __2-12   __13-50   __51-99  __100+

 

 

May we call you about your experience with the ISA service?

   Companyname: _______________________________________________

   Contactname: _______________________________________________

   Phone:______________________________________________________

 

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