THe Netherlands
In addition to compliance with the legal requirements of an EU member state as well as relevant EC and UNECE directives and regulations, U.S. exporters of automotive parts are advised to asses and obtain evidence of compliance with relevant technical norms and standards. A certified management system is required for access to new markets and customers in the Netherlands and Europe. One of the automotive industry’s most widely used international standards for quality management is ISO/TS 16949 (under revision, transition to IATF 16949 is in progress), which defines the quality management system requirements for the design and development, production and, when relevant, installation and service of automotive-related products.
Products that sell well in the United States will generally have market potential in the Netherlands, providing pricing is competitive. The key to successfully enter the Dutch market is to work closely with a local partner. An experienced representative will be able to advise on adapting a product to local technical requirements and consumer preferences, logistics, and marketing. Due to the size, accessibility, and competitive nature of the Dutch market, local importers and distributors usually insist on an exclusive distributorship. Although the European Union is considered a single market, marketing strategies and consumer preferences vary greatly from country to country. As a member of the European Union, both EU and national legislation applies.
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Resources
ACEA – European Automobile Manufacturers Association: http://www.acea.be/
CLEPA – European Association of Automotive Suppliers: http://clepa.eu/
European Commission – DG for Mobility & Transport: https://ec.europa.eu/transport/about-us_en
The EU Electric Cars Market Report
https://www.transportenvironment.org/sites/te/files/publications/2020_10_TE_Car_CO2_report_final.pdf
Report on the Automotive Aftermarket in the Netherlands
https://www.marketresearch.com/MarketLine-v3883/Automotive-Aftermarket-Netherlands-12128971/
IPR Law Firms
The Legal 500 maintain a list of top law firms in the Netherlands here: https://www.legal500.com/c/netherlands/intellectual-property-trade-marks-copyrights-and-design-rights/
List of Dutch IPR firms: https://www.hg.org/law-firms/intellectual-property/netherlands.html
Logistics
Holland International Distribution Council (HIDC) is a private, non-profit, member-based organization providing free advisory and matchmaking services for supply chain operations in Europe. Their website also contains a lot of information about logistics in the Netherlands. https://hollandinternationaldistributioncouncil.com/en/
Dutch Government article on Dutch smart logistics:https://investinholland.com/doing-business-here/business-operations/smart-logistics/
Service Providers
The Netherlands has been a trading nation for over 400 years and has a wide range of service providers to assist with import and export. If you are looking for a specific type service provider, please reach out to the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service.
Accelerators, incubators, and investors
Techleap.nl - The Netherlands official Startup Envoy: https://www.techleap.nl/tools
List of Dutch accelerators: https://www.crunchbase.com/hub/the-netherlands-accelerators
List of Dutch incubators: https://www.dutchincubator.nl/incubator/lijst-business-incubators/
List of Dutch venture capital investors: https://www.crunchbase.com/hub/the-netherlands-venture-capital-investors
Dutch Government
The Dutch Government has several programs to assist foreign companies in the Netherlands: : https://business.gov.nl. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency assists U.S. companies wanting to expand to the Netherlands: https://investinholland.com/