São Paulo – Companies participating in the Brazilian Coverings Exhibition, which began yesterday (24), in São Paulo, believe in the possibility of business with importers in the Arab market up to Friday (27), the last day of the event. "The Arabs were greatly interested in our tiles covered in gold and platinum and in rustic ceramics," stated the president at Mazza, Francisco Mazza.
The company, headquartered in Tambaú, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, has been in the market for over 100 years, but it was last year that the organisation, with 40 employees, established its international department. According to Mazza, in the first day of the fair, the stand received visitors from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. "The Saudi buyer said he would return (today) to close the deal," said the businessman. In case the order is closed, this should be the first sale by the company to the Arab market.
Another company that received Arab importers was the Incefra Group, one the largest in Brazil in production of flooring and wall tiles, with monthly production of 1.7 million square metres. According to Fabio Castropil, of the export department of the group, the company does not yet sell to the Arab market, but is negotiating with a company in Jordan. "We began a relationship with the Arab market last month at a fair in Valencia (Spain), where we were visited by many Arabs," said Castropil.
According to him, buyers from the Emirates and Saudi Arabia visited the company stand, asked for product catalogues and said they would return another day. "The first day is always like that. It is more speculation," said Castropil, who believes that the company has great chances of entering the Arab market. "It is a market that apparently has not been greatly affected by the crisis," he said.
Guilherme Vivona, of the export department at Gail, is of the same opinion. "It is a very promising market that is further from the crisis than are other markets," he said. Gail, a maker of ceramic tiles, started exporting to the Arab countries with greater frequency in 2007, after participation at the Big 5 Show, a fair in the building sector in Dubai. "Today, one of our main clients is in Saudi Arabia, and he has even already visited our stand," he added.
The company, which is headquartered in Guarulhos, exports to over 30 countries, among them the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. According to Vivona, the client in Saudi Arabia should close an order by the end of the fair. "We fulfil all the demands of this market," said the representative of the export department.
The most elaborate products shipped to the Middle East, according to Vivona, are ceramic tiles for decoration, which imitate stones and have a natural aspect. "This greatly pleases the Arab and other markets," he added. Gail currently exports 15% of production and has as its target reaching 40% over the next three or four years. "We have been working on the foreign market since 2005," he said.
Libya
Among the Arab importers participating in Revestir is the Libyan Salem Youns, general manager at Bem Younes Group, which operates in the building and food sectors. "This is our first time in Brazil. I have a large building material shop in Libya and am seeking Brazilian ceramics," said the businessman, who does not yet import from Brazil. According to him, the Brazilian product is good and there is interest in starting to import. "When I return to Libya I am going to analyse prices and see if I close deals," he said.
Currently, the group employs 190 people and imports ceramics, marble, granite, cement and accessories for bathrooms from Spain, Italy and Turkey. Apart from this sector, the group is also interested in importing several food products from Brazil, like milk, biscuits, chocolate, coffee, tomato sauce and sugar, mainly.
*Translated by Mark Ament
