Isaura Daniel, special envoy*
isaura.daniel@anba.com.br
Dubai – The minister of Finance and Industry of the United Arab Emirates, sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, was impressed by construction material manufactured in Brazil. He expressed his admiration yesterday morning (25th) during a visit to the Brazilian stand at the Big 5 Show, a trade fair for construction material that started last Sunday at the World Trade Centre, in Dubai, in the Emirates. “Is all of this manufactured in Brazil?,” the minister asked the president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Antonio Sarkis Jr., and the secretary-general at the organisation, Michel Alaby. While visiting the stand, during the opening of the fair, Al-Maktoum saw products such as granites, ceramics and bathroom metals made by 29 companies from Brazil.
The minister inaugurated the Big 5 Show and made a brief tour of the aisles in the exhibition park. The Brazilian stand was one of the few that he entered. “It is a recognition of the potential of Brazil,” said Sarkis. The president and the secretary-general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber presented the minister with books about Brazil and the Arab presence in South America. In an interview to ANBA, regarding business prospects with Brazil, the Arab leader stated that Dubai is a growing location that is open to international trade and welcomes all companies willing to do business in the emirate or the country.
The minister also received, at the Brazilian stand, a miniature model of Burj Al Arab, the hotel that became a symbol of Dubai, made of sodalita blue, a type of stone for which there are quarries in Brazil. The delivery was made by businessman Ney Lafaiette Conceição Jr., partnering director at Itu Mármores e Granitos, one of the companies exhibiting at the Big 5 Show. The owners of Itu also own two other companies, the Brazilian Mining Society (“Sociedade de Mineração Brasileira”), which explores granite quarries, and Nef, which imports marble. Itu processes the products and designs residential projects using the materials. The company exports to several countries in the Arab world, such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar and Egypt.
Visits
Yesterday, at the Big 5 Show, the Brazilian exhibitors were visited by importers from many countries. The exhibition premises of Brasilit, a company that belongs to the Saint-Gobain group, received visits from distributors to developers and trading companies from locations such as India, Pakistan, the Emirates, Qatar and Malta. Brasilit manufactures fibre-cement tiles, plan panels made of the same material, and polypropylene wires. The company is also showcasing galvanized tiles, which are made of metal. "This is a new market to us, we are prospecting it," says the export manager at the company, Eduardo Enrietti. The company already exports to approximately 20 countries.
Atlas, a maker of porcelain tiles, received professionals from Qatar, the Emirates and Bahrain at its premises. They were interested in representing the company in the Gulf. According to the sales manager at the company, Edilson Voltarelli, they made a point of returning to the exhibition site in order to resume talks. Atlas is based in the interior of the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo, and exports to the United States, South Africa, Sweden, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand and the Bahamas. The company’s participation in the Big 5 Show is its first incursion into the Arab market. Atlas is in the fair by means of the Brazilian Association of Ceramic Tile Manufacturers (Anfacer), which supports the participation of Brazil along with the Brazilian Association for Dimension Stones Industry (Abirochas).
Ceramic tile manufacturer company Casagrande also received several visits to its site at the exhibition in Dubai. According to the field manager at the company, Raquel Casagrande, the company was sought by people from Iran, Dubai, Oman, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Pakistan, Kuwait, Libya and Syria. Visitors included distributors, designers, and project consultants in charge of buying material for construction projects. Casagrande manufactures 680,000 square metres of ceramic tiles, for floors and walls, per month. The Big 5 Show will continue until next Thursday (29th) in Dubai. The presence of Brazil is organised by the Arab Brazilian Chamber.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
