Itajaí – The first-ever branch of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce opened on Thursday afternoon (24) in Itajaí, a port city in Santa Catarina state from where large volumes get shipped to Arab countries. The office is on the first floor of Embraed Centro Empresarial, on avenue Coronel Marcos Konder, 1,207, room 10, downtown and near the seaport.
During the opening cevent, some of the advantages of having an Arab Chamber office in Itajaí were discussed, including lower fixed costs, swifter document processing, proximity with members and prospective members in the area, a local commercial team and business support services.
Arab Chamber Council chairman Walid Yazigi provided numbers regarding the area, including the fact that the Port of Itajaí handles the second most containers in Brazil, trailing only the Port of Santos.
“The opening of this branch is of the utmost importance for the Arab Chamber, because we need to expand and we have the potential for it, and Itajaí was the most appropriate location because lots of certifications are being issued from here, by major animal protein companies which are based or have operations in the area,” said Yazigi.
Arab Chamber president Rubens Hannun said that besides speed and cost-cutting, human interaction between the Chamber and its members is very important. “By moving closer to our members, we can better manage potential crises and problems in the region, as well as provide better services to the members we have and find new ones,” he claimed.
CEO Michel Alaby said one of the primary goals of the Chamber is to diversify exports from Brazil to Arab countries, through goods such as footwear, cosmetics, ceramics, wood, furniture, etc. “These industries are present in the region [Santa Catarina], and it is our intention, besides better serving our members, to attract these new businesses.” Alaby also gave tips on how to deal with Arabs and their habits.
The event was attended by authorities including Itajaí Regional Development Agency executive secretary Alfredo Bento, representing the state governor; Port of Itajaí superintendence representative and president of the Santa Catarina Customs Brokers Union Marcello Petrelli, and delegates from companies operating in the region, among them BRF, Aurora and Whirlpool.
“The new office will bring speed and increased technical support and assistance in clearing up any doubts or issues members may have, and this will lead to increased exports, because companies are looking to cut costs and red tape, therefore this is in line with the market’s needs,” said Petrelli.
Rosana Schramm, a Foreign Trade analyst with Whirlpool’s compressor manufacturing arm Empresa Brasileira de Compressores (Embraco), said the company exports compressors for refrigerators, cold storage facilities and air conditioning devices to Egypt, Algeria and Morocco. “We have been Arab Chamber members for about a year and we have utilized several ports, always submitting certification papers to São Paulo; now, with the Itajaí office, things will be faster and costs will be lower,” said Schramm.
Aurora International Logistics coordinator Flávio Verner agrees. He also said that the new office will drive up the company’s poultry exports. It sells mainly to the UAE, Qatar and Oman, and is looking into other Arab countries.
The idea to open an office in Itajaí came up during a trip to Jordan in September 2017, Arab Chamber Special Projects advisor Tamer Mansour revealed. “After that trip we did research on where the most goods were shipped to the Middle East from, and we found that Itajaí and Navegantes (a neighboring seaport) ship out 12% of all goods sold to those countries,” he explained. “I am very pleased with the opening event. We are all learning as we go. This is the first Arab Chamber branch in 65 years, and I am very proud to be part of this team,” he said.
To get in touch with the Arab Chamber office in Itajaí, please call +55 47 3075 0601 or +55 47 3075 0248.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
