GETTING IT OUT THERE
How four B.C. companies took their products international–and how another plans to follow in their footsteps
The Veteran Kryton International Inc., Vancouver
SPECIALTY: Concrete waterproofing products whose proprietary chemical technology creates crystals that grow into the material FOUNDED: 1973 EXPORTING SINCE: 1975 PROPORTION OF TOTAL SALES FROM EXPORTS: More than 90 per cent THE STORY SO FAR: Ron Yuers, Kryton's founder and chair, signed his first international distributors in 1975, in Australia and Mexico. To fulfill his global ambitions, he would buy a one-way plane ticket and not return until he had sold something, says his daughter, president and CEO Kari Yuers. On those trips abroad, one of her father's first stops was often the Canadian consulate. “At times, he would be a good enough salesman to not get out the door without asking to borrow their car,” Yuers says, “so he could show up in a beautiful sedan with little Canadian flags on the front and look pretty important.”
That resourcefulness paid off: Kryton now sells its products in more than 45 countries. The company, which has 90 staff, has offices everywhere from India and China to Dubai
and the U.K. TOP EXPORT CHALLENGE:
“One of the biggest challenges has been protectionism and tariffs,” Kari Yuers says. “There's 40 per cent duties in many countries, so when our products are brought in, our customers have to pay as much as 40 per cent tax before they can mark it up and sell it in their local jurisdiction.” WHAT'S NEXT: In the middle of the last decade, Kari Yuers pared Kryton's 150-product line back to 12 core offerings. That boosted growth, but now that the company is expanding by 20 per cent year-over-year, it wants to introduce new products again. To that end, Kryton has hired a mergers-and-acquisitions expert to find takeover prospects, Yuers says. “We're looking to add some value-added systems that can help propel the company and our customers' growth on a global basis.”
Yuers thinks the pending Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union will make Kryton more competitive. “We welcome deals like the Canada-eu trade deal,” she says, noting that the EU is a mature market with an appetite for high-quality materials.