Greenfield Investment

What is a Greenfield Investment?

In economics, a greenfield investment (GI) refers to foreign direct investment (FDI), where a company establishes operations in a foreign country. In a greenfield investment, the company constructs new (“green”) facilities (sales office, manufacturing facility, etc.) cross-border from the ground up.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), greenfield investment is a project “where foreign investors establish a new business or expand an existing business on U.S. soil.” (or where a U.S. investor establishes a new business on foreign soil)

Understanding a Greenfield Investment

A greenfield investment is a form of market entry commonly used when a company wants to achieve the highest degree of control over its foreign activities. It can be compared to other foreign direct investments, such as purchasing foreign securities or acquiring a majority stake in a foreign company. The parent company exercises little to no control over daily business operations.

Apart from potential tax breaks or subsidies in establishing a greenfield investment, the overarching goal of such an investment is to achieve a high level of control over business operations and avoid intermediary costs.

Advantages of a Greenfield Investment

There are numerous advantages to greenfield investment, including the following:

1. High level of control over business operations.
2. High-quality control over the manufacturing and sale of products and/or services.
3. Increased control over brand image and staffing.
4. Economies of scale and economies of scope can be achieved in marketing, research and development, and production.
5. Bypassing trade restrictions
6. Creating jobs for the economy where the greenfield investment is taking place

Disadvantages of a Greenfield Investment

There are, of course, potential disadvantages as well, such as the following:

1. An extremely high-risk investment – a greenfield investment is the riskiest form of foreign direct investment
2. Potentially high market entry cost (barriers to entry)
3. Government regulations that may hamper foreign direct investments
4. High fixed costs involved in establishing a greenfield location

Example of a Greenfield Investment

Company A is based in Europe and wants to expand its operations internationally. Namely, the company intends to penetrate the US market with a new innovative product. Upon completing market research, Company A realises that few to no competitors in the United States. Thus, there are no acquisition opportunities available to the company to establish a “base.” In addition, the United States previously imposed tariffs on all European imports, causing the selling price of the company’s product to be very high when it comes to an imported product.

Company A decides to create a sales office and manufacturing facility on US soil to bypass existing US import tariffs and penetrate the domestic market with its new product. The company’s CEO deems establishing a foreign subsidiary crucial, as it will then be able to exert complete control over its overseas business operations and brand image.

Real-World Examples of Greenfield Investments

Hyundai Motor Co. in Nošovice

In 2006, Hyundai Motor Company received approval to make around one billion euros with a significant greenfield investment in Nošovice in the Czech Republic. The automaker established a new manufacturing plant that employed up to 3,000 individuals in its first year of operation. The Czech Government provided tax relief and subsidies to prompt the greenfield investment to boost the country’s economy and lower the unemployment rate.

Toyota Motor Corp. in Mexico

In 2015, Toyota Motor Corporation announced plans to establish a new manufacturing facility in Mexico through an investment of about US$1 billion. Slated to open in 2019, the facility will produce up to 200,000 units per year in conjunction with the currently established Tijuana plant. Toyota’s greenfield investment is to improve competitiveness in North America – specifically within the United States. The low labour cost and the proximity to US markets offered the Japanese automaker an attractive opportunity to establish an overseas manufacturing facility.