PIERS Supports Guatemala's Trade Expansion Efforts

NEWARK, N.J., May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PIERS, The Standard in Trade Intelligence, is now providing the government of Guatemala with trade intelligence tools to enhance efforts to expand foreign investment. The trade intelligence solutions were provided to a division of the Guatemalan government that is funded by the European Union with the primary goal of increasing direct foreign investment, especially in the agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, call center & BPO, natural resource, energy and mining sectors.

The recent purchase of PIERS products will enable the Guatemalan government to analyze global trade trends and opportunities, to identify potential investors, and to gain insight into detailed trade transactions for U.S. imports and exports. PIERS trade data is gleaned from actual trade transaction documents sourced from U.S. Customs, PIERS staff employees located at all major U.S. ports, and additional resources which contribute to PIERS uniquely comprehensive data set. PIERS clients range from small businesses to large government organizations.

Gavin Carter, PIERS Executive Vice President, said, For years, PIERS has provided crucial trade intelligence to world governments as well as the commercial sector. We are pleased to have been chosen as the trade intelligence provider to the government of Guatemala - further testament to the breadth and unrivalled quality of our solutions.

Guatemala, with an economy of approximately US $262 billion, has free trade agreements with the U.S., Mexico, much of Latin America, and Taiwan. In 2009, foreign direct investment in Guatemala was approximately $705.9 million.

About PIERS

PIERS is the most comprehensive database of U.S. waterborne trade activity in the world providing information services to thousands of subscribers globally. Launched more than 35 years ago, PIERS was the first venture in digital global trade intelligence and quickly became the industry standard for accuracy, reliability and insight. Our unique infrastructure and proprietary technology allow us to not only publish import data but also complete coverage of U.S. export transactional data. PIERS is a division of UBM Global Trade, and a sister company of The Journal of Commerce. For more information, visit www.piers.com, or call 800-952-3839 (+1-973-776-8660).