São Paulo – Once again, Brazil will take part in the defense sector fair IDEX, scheduled to February 19 to 23 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The Brazilian Association of Defense and Security Materials Industry (Abimde) will have a pavilion of 312 square meters where 18 member companies will exhibit their products.
“IDEX is one of the main defense fairs in the Middle East. In the last edition there were over 1,200 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors, with delegations from the region’s countries and other parts of the world,” said in an email interview with ANBA the admiral Carlos Afonso Pierantoni Gambôa, Abimde’s executive vice-president.
The following companies will exhibit their products in the fair: A.S. Avionics Service, Akaer Engenharia, Altave, Atech, BCA, CBC, Cecil, Condor, Domus, Emgepron, Fly Sistemas, Gespi, IACIT, Índios Pirotecnia, M&K, Safety Wall, Smart Power and Taurus. They operate in the sectors of aerospace engineering, simulators, drones, command systems, control and combat, personal ballistic protection, armor products, ammunition, non-lethal weapons, temporary shelters, naval engineering, rockets, drone and cell phone jammers, signals, military logistics, light weaponry, among other.
“For Brazilian companies, to be able to supply to the Middle East countries is important, since it’s a region that has repeated conflicts and Brazil has always taken a neutral position before these issues, which is an advantage for potential trade agreements,” said Gambôa.
In addition to the companies that will exhibit at Abimde’s pavilion, aerospace company Embraer will also take part in the fair. The presence of Brazil’s Ministry of Defense is also expected.
The association’s vice-president said that Brazil already holds a good market presence in the region, especially as supplier of lethal and non-lethal weaponry, vehicles, armored vehicles and aircrafts. “With the participation in fairs and events of this size, we are, in addition to consolidating our presence in these sectors, seeking to present our domestic solutions such as command and control systems, UAVs (drones), armor-plating, with the Brazilian companies open to partnerships with regional companies,” he said.
He explained that businesses are rarely concluded in the fairs themselves, the events are for establishing contacts and product presentation. The contracts are usually signed after the visits of clients to the companies, live product demonstrations and training programs for operators. Some companies, however, choose to announce deals already signed during the sector fairs.
Brazilian exports of defense and security products to the Arab countries totaled USD 146.7 million last year, an increase of 14% over 2015. To the UAE, however, sales went up 89% in the same comparison and totaled USD 36 million. The largest market in the region is Saudi Arabia, with imports of USD 65.5 million in 2016. The data was provided by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC).
According to data made available by the fair’s organizers, in the event’s last edition, in 2015, exhibitors signed deals worth AED 18.3 billion, the equivalent to near USD 5 billion.
Quick info
IDEX – International Defence Exhibition & Conference
Date: February 19 to 23
Where: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec)
Registration and information at www.idexuae.ae
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
