| COUNTRY PERSPECTIVES
-
TUNISIA |
|
Business opportunities and territorial marketing |
|
|
The prospects for major upgrading of Tunisia’s manufacturing sector are good, thanks in particular to the upgrading programme. Maintaining exports will depend on the capacity of Tunisian companies to specialise in activities that can compete in the new context of free trade with the European Union. |
|
| Latest
News -
Tunisia |
| Latest
Investments -
Tunisia |
 |
Documents |
 |
|
|
 |
|
| |
|
Business opportunities and territorial marketing |
Tunisia decided in the second half of the Nineties to modernise its industrial fabric. In conjunction with the Association Agreement, the EU is assisting the Tunisian government's upgrading programme (Mise à Niveau) to enhance the productivity of Tunisian businesses. The programme was relayed in 2003 by the industrial modernisation programme, which aims to support the industrial modernisation process in order to boost the economy and prepare SMEs to compete in the global marketplace.
Goals are to develop company competitiveness through technical assistance (coaching and quality), to diversify Tunisian industry by encouraging the establishment of new businesses, and to improve the business environment. The industrial modernisation programme is implemented by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Small Businesses, which has formed a special management unit for this purpose: the UGPMI. Coordination is handled by a national officer, who represents the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Small Businesses within the Programme.
The Tunisian government provides financial support to Tunisian SMEs in an amount corresponding to 70 percent of intangible investments. There are opportunities for consulting companies specialised in organisation, training, quality, certification, standardisation, production methods and management of innovation.
In terms of sectorial opportunities, Tunisia has comparative advantages in various sectors, identified by strategic studies. In the following sectors, certain branches or niches of activity are considered of particular interest, with great potential:
- Food products: prepared and partially prepared dishes, tomato-based products, semi-conserved food, dried/dehydrated/freeze-dried items, cheese, deep-frozen products, ice cream, preparation and processing of wine, modern olive oil plants, olive oil packaging, date packaging, organic dates, a unit to process seafood left over after sorting by size, a unit to produce dried tomatoes, organic jams, fresh and stuffed pasta, setting up of grain storage silos.
- Building materials: single-layer mosaic tiles, granite block processing, automated brickworks, semi-automatic tile manufacturing, a unit to manufacture high-performance insulated windows, a unit to produce laminated glass (flat or curved) using the vacuum process, an automated unit for the manufacture of footed glassware (blowing process) in sodo-calcic glass, a semi-automated line for the manufacture of table glassware by pressing or centrifuging, a semi-automatic manufacturing line for high quality crystal glass, plans for a shop to process flat glass for decorative purposes, a unit for decorating hollow glass.
- Metal and mechanical industries: setting up of a Tunisian pole for metalwork, a unit to study and produce isothermal bodywork for large commercial vehicles, modernisation and transformation of an existing foundry, a foundry for low melting point non ferrous material, automated, with gravity flow (alloy foundry).
- Car parts: cable harnesses, ringed tubes for cable harnesses, exhaust systems, brake plates, moulds, clutch fittings, electrical cables, interior equipment, rubber parts.
- Electrical, electronic and household appliance industries: networks, security and safeguarding, intranet and electronic commerce, advanced management and corporate information systems, wiring of cards in small series, meters, over moulding for electrical parts.
- Chemical industries: technical injection plant, extrusion of large sections or tubes, blowing of hollow bodies, manufacture of plastic sections, shaping of plastic sections, moulds, extrusion, rotocasting, large thermal-moulded items, composites, concentrated liquid detergent in flexible pouches, concentrated detergent bleach, fabric softener.
- Textiles and clothing: gabardine fabric, denim fabric, pants fabric, shirt fabric, work clothes fabric, chain and weft fabric finishing, dress pants, jeans, shirts, bras, men’s ready-to-wear clothing, mesh clothing and finishing.
- Leather and footwear industries: dress shoes, safety shoes, a unit for the manufacture of small leather goods, a unit for the manufacture of handbags.
- Other manufacturing products: seats, office furniture, interior furniture, modular interior furniture, digital printing ("QUICK PRINT SHOP") companies, cleaning/sorting/filing/baling of old paper and cardboard, a factory to turn recycled paper into corrugated material (corrugation and test liner) to manufacture corrugated cardboard.
For more information on project opportunities, see the very helpful website of the Industrial Promotion Agency (API): www.tunisieindustrie.nat.tn/guide
In the tourism sector, a vast hotel modernisation project to be carried out over seven years was launched in 2004, with financing needs estimated at TD 1.5 billion. International donors (TD 50 million from the Islamic Development Bank, FADES) are expected to contribute to this programme. Business opportunities are also available in the second phase of work, involving equipment and training. Regarding tourism infrastructure, many projects are in the pipeline (marinas, yacht clubs), likely to interest foreign investors, in particular management of marinas (coastal traffic, town navigation, adaptation of structures to meet customer demands).
Technological partnership, privatisation and concessions are being sought to implement major projects. The privatisation agenda for 2006 included seven industrial and nine service companies. More information is available at:
http://www.privatisation.gov.tn/www/fr/home.asp |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
