São Paulo – The Arab Health fair, in the medical, hospital and dentistry sector, promoted in January, in Dubai, should generate deals of US$ 12.6 million for the next 12 months for the 50 Brazilian companies that participated. According to figures supplied by the Brazilian Association of the Industry of Medical, Dental, Hospital and Laboratory Articles and Equipment (Abimo), deals closed at the fair totalled US$ 2 million at the fair itself.
One of the companies that received orders was Olidef, of neonatal products. According to the company’s export manager, Bruno Tavares Pinto, over five orders were signed with importers from Saudi Arabia. “We signed contracts that were started at the Medical fair, in Germany,” said the manager.
According to him, the business was signed with importers who were already clients and new buyers. The main orders were for incubators and cribs for newly-borns. Apart from Saudi Arabia, the manager is negotiating with buyers from Yemen and Kuwait. Currently, exports represent between 35% and 40% of company revenues and the Arab market corresponds to 25% of foreign sales. This was the company’s fifth participation in the Arab Health. “We are already known,” said Pinto.
Another company that worked hard at the fair was Sismatec, of products for surgery wards. “Dubai is a strategic place to find distributors in the Middle East,” said the export manager to the region, Flávia Rodrigues. According to her, the fair was positive and served to present the company products to the Arabs.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Syria are countries to which the company already exports. “In this edition, Saudi Arabia stood out,” said Flávia, who was approached by many Saudi companies. She sold a set of operating room lights to a Saudi hospital.
In total, Brazilian companies made 2,900 contacts with representatives from over 50 countries. According to figures supplied by the Abimo, prospection was below expectations, as the forecast was for deals totalling US$ 24 million over the next 12 months. However, the contacts signed at the fair itself exceeded expectations, which had been US$ 1 million in sales.
According to the president at Abimo, Franco Pallamolla, in a press statement disclosed by the organisation, “the Arab nations represent the most promising business and, as they already know Brazilian brands, decided to buy the products at the fair itself.”
*Translated by Mark Ament
