Dubai – Not all Brazilian companies are exhibiting together at the Big 5, a trade show for the construction industry taking place in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Walking through the fair, near the Portugal and Spain pavilions, The ANBA reporter found Solida’s booth – a lumber company based in Rio Negrinho, in the state of Santa Catarina.
According to commercial manager Luiz Mello, Solida is attending the event for the first time. “We do business with the region and so we decided to introduce our company to the market,” he said.
The company sells raw Pinus wood cut from commercial plantations in Santa Catarina. The product is used in construction and packaging manufacturing.
According to Mello, half the production stays in Brazil and the other half gets exported. In the Middle East, the leading destination is Saudi Arabia, currently the region’s hottest market for construction.
He claimed, however, that sales have been better in the past, especially in Dubai, and that now the company is betting heavily on trade with Asia. Mello said freight charges to Asian countries are lower, because containers are used that were previously shipped from the continent to Brazil, especially China. In order for the containers not to be returned empty, they are offered at more competitive prices.
Mello added, however, that going to the fair is important in order to “make oneself known,” i.e., to make contacts that might lead to eventual deals, more than to take orders, all the more so because the wood industry seldom operates with on-the-spot sales, although it may eventually be the case. He said he was even asked questions in that respect at the Big 5.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
