Genimex gave Goizueta students a glimpse...

Shanghai-based Genimex gave Goizueta students a glimpse into the workings of an international trading company with roots in different countries. Founded in Taiwan by an Iraqi-born Israeli father and New Zealand-born mother, the firm today is run by their three sons, who are under 30 and who grew up in Taiwan, attended college in the U.S. and speak fluent Mandarin.

Genimex’s primary focus is on helping U.S.-based companies manage the uncertainty of sourcing merchandise from China. The 30-employee firm acts as a go-between with over 400 Chinese factories that produce electronic goods, kitchen appliances, cabinets, gifts and other items. Genimex picks suitable factories, ensures quality control and oversees production of customer-specific merchandise, from the design stage through delivery and after-sales support.

Facing growth challenges, Genimex asked the Goizueta team to be an unbiased third party and assess its strategy, structure and operations of what is “essentially an Oriental firm with an Occidental top management team,” explained Aditya Rao 08MBA.

The Goizueta team viewed hundreds of sample products, interviewed Chinese managers as well as the three brothers, visited a cabinet manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Shanghai, and was permitted to pore over confidential financial documents. The result? A presentation that mapped out ways to improve internal communications, streamline functions and leverage synergies in the company. The team also recommended launching a satellite sales office in Europe or the United States, and implementing a cost-analysis structure to identify and focus on higher-profit categories.

“The technical studies at Goizueta helped a lot,” said Rao, a native of India. “We were able to pinpoint which areas of the business were profitable and which were not, so that the company could concentrate on the profitable parts and not waste too much energy on the others.”

Vivek Bhatia 08MBA, another team member and a former consultant with IBM Global Services, Accenture and Deloitte, was impressed by Genimex’s entrepreneurial and relatively open culture.

“My only perspective had been U.S.-based companies,” Bhatia said. “Here in the U.S., we tend to live in a shell regarding how things are supposed to operate. Getting the perspective of an entrepreneurial firm operating overseas helped me understand that there are extrinsic factors affecting companies that I hadn’t been exposed to before.”