São Paulo – After getting to know new ceramic tile industry products at trade show Expo Revestir, eleven representatives of Arab companies visited the bathroom metals and ceramics manufacturer Deca, in São Paulo this Thursday (8th). At least two businessmen expressed an interest in doing business with the Brazilian enterprise. The group is in Brazil participating in a Buyer Project of the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex), backed by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
The business development manager of Al Ansari Trading Enterprise, Santosh Kadam claims that the civil construction industry in Oman, where the company is based, may be a market for Deca’s taps, water valves and ceramics, provided that the pricing is competitive.
“From looking at the end product one can tell how much care the company had during production. Here [at the factory] I was able to determine that the process is very careful. We might buy them, but that depends on the price at which [the products] would arrive there. Product price is made up of manufacturing costs, shipping and freight, profit and commission. The cost in Brazil and the shipping cost are fixed, however the commission and profit are open to negotiation,” said Kadam.
The managing director of Crystal Building Materials, Omar Bayousuf also praised the quality of Deca products. “We currently buy from Italy, Germany, Belgium and China. These products we have seen today are the best of them all. But still I need to learn about the pricing,” said the businessman from the United Arab Emirates.
Deca is expanding its market share in the Arab world. The brand is represented in the Emirates by Arteco, a company which has a showroom in Abu Dhabi, a warehouse in Sharjah, and is now opening another showroom in Dubai. Newton Nascimento, of Deca’s export sector, claimed that the company is yet to conquer the market, and must be careful when selecting customers outside Brazil. He believes that the current moment may help.
“Many companies have shifted their focus from exports into domestic sales because of the booming local construction market. On the other hand, domestic clients already know our brand. Foreign ones do not. In the high-end market, they will go for what they know. We want to become established,” he said.
Nascimento said that for the time being, it is easier to export products targeting the upper classes, which can afford higher prices and with whom the negotiation margin is larger. “Conquering the middle class is tougher, because it involves the price issue.”
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
