São Paulo – The global defense and security market is booming, which reflects in the International Defense Exhibition & Conference (IDEX), a sector show in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, with the participation of Brazilian companies. “The market is booming, the show is bustling,” Armando Lemos, executive director of the Brazilian Association of Defense and Security Industries (ABIMDE), told ANBA by telephone. IDEX runs from February 20 to 24.
Brazil does not sell defense products to conflict areas such as Ukraine and Russia, but demand from other parts of the world is increasing for other suppliers serving these regions. “There is such a huge demand even Europe and the United States are unable to supply it,” reported Lemos about the Ukraine-Russia war. According to the executive, there is a lot of demand for products such as artillery ammunition and gunpowder.
ABIMDE organizes Brazilian participation in IDEX in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil). Along with IDEX, the NAVDEX show for the shipbuilding industry is also taking place simultaneously. Eleven Brazilian companies are exhibiting at the Brazil Pavilion – Akaer, Atech, Avionics, CDS, Gespi, Imbel, Kryptus, M&K, Mac Jee, Ocellott, and Siatt – and another five independently: CBC, Condor, Embraer, Taurus, and Tupan. Lemos claims the Middle East is a priority market for Brazil’s defense and security industry.
The ABIMDE executive sees IDEX as not just a show to do business but also to learn about sector trends. According to Lemos, as the Middle East has plenty of financial resources and buys the very best, companies take their latest technologies and releases to the show. “Countries seek to bring the most advanced solutions,” he reported. The executive also noted that Brazilian companies are being sought at the fair for partnerships. “They are very interested in establishing partnerships, not only acquiring products but also cooperating to bring technology to their region,” he said.
The Brazil Pavilion was visited by several delegations, including the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), this Thursday (23). Representing the institution were director Mohamad Abdouni Neto, secretary-general & CEO Tamer Mansour, and Dubai international office director Rafael Solimeo. Speaking to ANBA, Mansour highlighted the remarkable Brazilian participation in the show and said he noticed businesspeople were enjoying IDEX. Ambassador Eliana Zugaib, chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Brazil in Abu Dhabi, and Tatiana Riera, head of Operations of ApexBrasil in Dubai, also visited IDEX.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
