Silicon Forest: Oregon's Untapped High Tech Gold Mine

A rising middle class in emerging markets is eager to import high tech products.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Oregon is known for many things: It has more ghost towns than anywhere else in the United States; Hell's Canyon is the deepest river on the continent; the Columbia River gorge offers the best windsurfing in the world; and Seaside Aquarium was the first place in the world where harbor seals were bred in captivity.

However, few people know that during the gold rush, the biggest reserves were found in 1958 at Sharp’s Creek in the Bohemia Mining District nestled in the Cascade Mountains.

Fewer people realize that Oregon is currently sitting on the modern equivalent of a goldmine: a high-tech business hub called Silicon Forest. Silicon Forest offers high-tech products and services that can make a massive contribution to a complex global economy.

Silicon Forest is the nickname for the cluster of companies in Portland’s metropolitan area that form a high-tech corridor between Beaverton and Hillsboro.

In fact, Google thought so highly of Oregon’s technological promise that it has chosen a high speed fiber optic network to run through Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Gresham, Lake Oswego, and Tigard.

Perhaps, one reason why Silicon Forest is not as well known as Silicon Valley in California is because it is playing too small--because any business in Silicon Forest that chooses to expand out of Oregon with the help of a logistics company can have a global impact.

It can expand its marketing far beyond its geographical boundaries through exporting its high-tech products to those regions of the world where there is an incredible insatiable consumer demand for advanced technology.

Tapping Into Emerging Markets

There is a rising middle class in emerging markets eager to import high tech products. India, Africa, the Middle East, and Brazil are some key markets to consider.

By aligning with a logistics company that has a deep understanding of markets around the world, it is easier for a high-tech company to identify key places for distributing a particular line of tech products. Once identified, it's possible to act quickly by deploying a supply chain process.

Unigroup Logistics has a network that covers over 100 countries, making it easy for a high-tech company in Oregon or any state to use a single source when looking for a supply chain solution.

Using Forecasting and Tracking to Increase Revenue

Orders need to be tracked with precision once the supply chain process is set in motion. Suppliers and vendors should be able to see where all shipments are in the supply chain pipeline. A business that has made the effort to stay on top of its forecasting and tracking will flourish.

Applying Efficiencies of Scale to Slash Costs

When exporting high-tech products in a large volume, it’s possible to reduce operating costs. Often other high-tech companies in the country have already opened up trading routes.

When working with multiple locations, the best shipping methods can make a huge difference. If time is not a decisive factor, then ocean freight can considerably lower costs.

The tighter the control of a shipment’s mode of transportation, transit time, and safe arrival at its destination, the greater the profits for everyone, seller and buyer alike.

Customers, for example, can be forwarded a shipping label before the product itself arrives making it easy for the recipient to know what is inside the packages when they arrive. Turning high-value products like electronic devices quickly can increase value while reducing costs.

Finding the Right Partners

A high-tech company in Oregon's Silicon Forest need not be landlocked to familiar types of distribution channels for their high-value, high demand products.

By finding the right partner, an organization that has an expertise that they don’t have, any high-tech company can set up an import/export business that really works.

By seeking the outside help of a supply chain logistics firm, a high-tech company in Oregon’s Silicon Forest can experience significant revenue growth.

Logistic companies have global distribution expertise as well as the necessary innovative technology to connect sellers and buyers anywhere in the world.