Randa Achmawi, special report for ANBA*
Cairo – Wooden product company Uliana, from the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo, will be signing today (18), at Cairo International Fair, a contract for around US$ 100,000 for the export of wooden doors. The company is showing its products at the event for the first time. "The buyer is Seif El Oteif, the owner of Egyptian company Caravan Trading. He is building houses and needs external doors, but I think that our business may also evolve to the purchase of internal doors," stated Antonio Carlos Uliana, the company director.
The order, according to the businessman, is for three containers, which is equivalent to 500 units. "Today (yesterday) I telephoned Brazil to check the delivery time of the material and tomorrow (today) we will sign the contract. This is undoubtedly a good start," he added.
Apart from the sale closed, the day at the Uliana stand was very busy. "I made many contacts, among them 12 very serious ones with businessmen from Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and various from Egypt. The forecasts for work with the region are better and better," stated the executive.
He added that he intends to participate in future editions of the fair and to have a trade representative in Cairo. According to Uliana, there are serious discussions regarding the matter with an Egyptian company. "Today (yesterday) a company representative came to visit our stand. He was here to analyse the quality of the product we are exhibiting more seriously. We also discussed the prices of the product and I will meet Magdi Murad (the company owner) to see if we are going to close the representation contract," he declared.
Dubai factory
Serra Comercial, in turn, which is representing Repume Iluminação, also from São Paulo, proceeded with their intention of establishing an industrial unit in the region. On Wednesday, the company had already closed a contract for US$ 200,000 for the supply of public lighting material to an importer in Tanzania.
According to the company director, Mary Benmayor, a businessman from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, asked for a presentation regarding the technical specifications for assembly of the products. According to her, the businessman showed interest in producing light fixtures in his country.
"He stated that the government of the Emirates offers great support to the opening of new factories and that is why he is interested in developing this project with us," she said. "They are now awaiting explanations regarding the technical part so as to proceed with negotiations," she added.
Movement
The third day of Cairo International Fair was the busiest at the Brazilian stand, which is organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB) in partnership with the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex). The stand received around 250 visitors yesterday.
"The number of contacts made by companies at the stand totalled around 200, whereas the CCAB made around 50 contacts," stated Michel Alaby, the secretary general of the organization, who is in Cairo. "This means that up to now the Brazilian stand has received a total of 430 business contacts," he finished off.
*Translated by Mark Ament
