Japanese and Chinese construction and facilities management software markets: Preliminary study

The goal of this preliminary study was to perform a market study on the opportunities to transfer Finnish software technology to Japanese and Chinese construction and facilities management markets. The study forms a starting point for further actions when establishing business between Finnish and Japanese and/or Chinese counterparts. Japan and China were chosen as target markets to the study owing both to the arising interest of Finnish companies to these markets and the importance of the two countries among Asian economies. Japan is the largest and China the second largest economy in Asia in terms of total GDP (gross domestic product). In both countries efforts have been taken to open the markets to foreign companies which add interest to look at the economies in more detail. This study is divided into two parts. The first one deals with the Japanese and the second one with the Chinese market outlook. The study on China is restricted to cover only mainland China. Both sections include overviews of the construction and real estate markets, characteristics of construction and use of information technology, and issues to be taken into account when entering the markets. The final chapters of both sections have conclusions on the opportunities available in the markets and difficulties one is likely to expect when establishing business in these countries. The results of both parts of the study indicate business potential for Finnish software developers. However, there are a number of country-specific factors, which need to be taken into account in order to succeed in the markets. This study serves as a basis for more detailed studies on specific areas as well as for companies and organisations which are interested in establishing business and/or research contacts in Japan or China.