São Paulo – Two importers from Egypt and two from Algeria participated in the three days of roundtables promoted by the Brazilian Association of the Industry of Medical, Dental, Hospital and Laboratory Articles and Equipment (Abimo), during the Hospitalar fair, which takes place in São Paulo up to Friday (28).
Ahmed Farouk, the general manager at Medical Technology, explains that his company is seeking medical equipment for the areas of vascular surgery and cardiology, as well as products for peripheral interventions, general surgery and orthopaedics.
“Yesterday (26), we found at least four companies that have good chances to cooperate with us, considering their products. The question is that we need some time to register the medical supplies at the Egyptian Ministry of Health,” he said. The Egyptian company already works with European and North American equipment and, in its first visit to Brazil, hopes to find new partners.
"The Brazilian companies show good quality and another advantage are the good perspectives of competing with the European products due to prices. The quality of Brazil is much higher than that of the Chinese, Thai or Korean products. We are anxious to start business as we have a very significant market, with 2,000 hospitals,” added Farouk.
A Brazilian company that went to the event seeking the Egyptian market was Sismatec, a maker of surgery tables and lights. Flávia Rodrigues, the International Sales manager, explains that the company already does business with the United Arab Emirates and has been participating in the Arab Health fair for several years, but the current focus among the Arab nations is entry into the Egyptian market.
"Our focus is currently on Egypt and the remaining countries in Africa, but there are still many difficulties in the question of legalisation of equipment in the country and that is why we are here, to know more about the market. Every year, Egypt is our great challenge. Maybe today something will come out.”
Seeking physiotherapy and rehabilitation equipment, the director general at Algerian company 2A2 Medicalys, Aichaoui Abdenour, is in Brazil seeking business for the first time. He explains that he has already shown interest in the products of two Brazilian companies with which he made contact, Carci and Ibramed, and that he “should proceed with these contacts.” Still on Thursday, he should visit the factory of the former.
The representative at Carci, Persio de Almeida, explains that he first made contact with the Algerian company at Arab Health and that he is making his second contact with the potential client. “We are starting, no order has been made yet, but we are establishing our first relations,” he said. The company already sells to the Emirates, Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan and Syria, and Almeida believes that the Arab market may generate further business.
“It is a promising sector, and the participation of Arab countries in our exports has been rising each year. The target is to participate more and more and, suddenly, to be able to replace a European or American product for a Brazilian one,” he pointed out.
The other Algerian company participating in the roundtables is TSM. Seeking surgery equipment, like operating tables and sterilisers, general manager Boussad Saraoui has already spoken to several Brazilian companies and believes that there may be “very important opportunities for trade between Algeria and Brazil.”
Olsen, a maker of dentistry products and medical chairs has been supplying to TSM for four years. Márlya Câmara, a trader at the Brazilian company, says that the Algerian company is among the three main importers. During the roundtables, he says he will proceed with his business.
Olsen also exports to the Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Márlya sees the Arab market as a “very interesting” one where “there is much to be done”. “It is a market that Brazil has been growing in,” he pointed out.
The president at the Egyptian Medics, Ramez Sarkis, came to Brazil to learn about equipment for intensive care units and for surgery wards. Medics already buys from two Brazilian companies and is seeking new suppliers. “Brazil has great quality and reasonable prices. Prices are very important for the Egyptian market,” he declared.
Marco Dias, the International Market manager at Indusbello, a maker of dentistry products that is now entering the hospital area, explains that his company already sells to the Jordanian and Omani markets. “We were at a fair in Dubai and made many contacts,” he said.
“Today, mainly in the dentistry area, the Chinese are sending much material to them (the Arabs), and we see that the Brazilian product is better quality and more accessibly priced. They consider the Brazilian market alternative and we are using that to open new markets,” said Dias.
To the executive director at Abimo, Hely Maestrello, this edition of the roundtables is being very positive. “They (the buyers) were surprised with the quality and technology of the products. We believe that all expectations may be exceeded.” The roundtables brought 21 buyers from 14 countries.
*Translated by Mark Ament
