Dubai – Most of the Brazilian companies which participated in this year’s edition of the Big 5 Show are leaving Dubai with good results. Pettrus, a quartz stone manufacturing company, sold its showcase items to Arteco, which will represent it in the region. A first-timer at international fairs, Pado made contact with companies that should soon turn to customers. The same holds true of paint company Universo Tintas and building equipment maker Menegotti.
The companies took part in the leading civil construction fair in the Middle East, which ended this Thursday (8th). They exhibited at the booth organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex Brazil). This year, seven companies exhibited at the event. Apart from those, other companies participated: Deca (metal sanitary ware), Tramontina (sinks and bowls) and Astra (showers and flush tanks).
In addition to finding a partner in the region, Pettrus made more than 200 contacts. From the start of the event, the company’s CEO Maxwell Alcântara was betting that his stones would be successful among the Arabs. “Everyone in the industry loves our product, and that was my goal upon coming to the fair. I believe my stones have potential,” he said. The company’s quartz and quartzite can be used for hotel lobby or building façade decoration, for instance.
The export manager for Pado, Karli Vieira, also celebrated the performance at the Big 5. “We have good business perspectives, because buyers from several countries in the region have visited us. One of them is a major Pakistani company. I believe we have a chance to sell to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Libya, Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon and Kuwait,” said Vieira.
The company received many visitors, said Vieira, because the company was one of a few that had padlocks as their flagship product, the quality of the competing Asian product is lower, and market demand is strong. “We have a better product than the Chinese, and our pricing is on a par with European prices. We are likely to take someone’s place.”
The export manager for Menegotti, Thiago Sandrini Leite, also said the company was visited by entrepreneurs who are likely to place orders. Many, he said, were interested in the company’s hydraulic cement mixers and lighting towers. According to Sandrini, 40% of the visitors he received at the Big 5 were Saudi, another 40% were Emirati, and the remaining 20% were from other countries in the region. “If we work well with these potential clients, we might strike deals,” he said.
Regular performance
Some of the companies that went to the fair have described their performance as “regular.” To the Astra trader Mark Dotto, the company’s booth received more visits in 2011. “I think attendance was a little lower this year, and our booth was not as well-positioned as last year,” he said. In 2011, the Brazilian booth was located on the main aisle. This year, it covered 72 square metres in a pavilion farther from the main entrance
Deca and Tramontina representatives also reported that they would like to have made more contacts during the four days of the fair. Tramontina, which exhibited tempered glass sink bowls and sinks, should return next year with its tool line.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
