Dubai – The Middle East’s leading civil construction industry fair is poised to result in deals for the eight participating Brazilian companies. They are located at the ornamental rocks and stones pavilion of the Big 5, which opened this Monday (17th) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Brazilian area was organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil).
Karli Vieira, the Foreign Trade manager for padlock manufacturing company Pado, says the goal is to increase sales to the Emirates; Pado started selling to the country in 2012, when it went to the Big 5 for the first time.
"During that exhibition we even found customers from Tanzania and Ghana, as a result of their visiting our stand. We also have an importer here in Dubai. We intend to step up our sales to this importer as well as find other ones,” she said. Vieira said selling to Dubai calls for minor product modifications, which the company is able to make swiftly anyway. “We sell padlocks with two keys each. Here, we need to supply three keys.” Vieira also explains that the reason the company is looking to increase exports is the fact that its output capacity exceeds domestic demand in Brazil.
A representative of ornamental stones exporting company Summit International, Eder Welsing is at the fair for the first time looking for clients. "I am here to enter the market, find clients and make lots of contacts. There is a strong demand for our product here. I want to close at least one sale during this exhibition,” he said.
A trader for electric equipment manufacturer Fame, Maria Prado is keeping an eye out for Africans at the Big 5. "I am here to sell electric showers, but our target is not Dubai; we are focusing on African countries where people have no access to hot water. The electric shower is cheap, and having hot water at home is a sign of improved living conditions for our clients,” she said. The company already sells to the region, but Prado guarantees there is room for more.
The Big 5 was inaugurated this Monday morning by the deputy ruler of Dubai, Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. After cutting the inaugural ribbon, he visited a few stands in the construction tools & equipment and ceramics sections of the event, featuring companies from China, Italy, Spain, Austria and Saudi Arabia. The exhibition will continue until next Thursday (20th).
The Brazilian delegation currently in the United Arab Emirates to attend the Big 5 and engage in other business activities comprises the Arab Chamber’s president Marcelo Sallum, Foreign Trade vice president Rubens Hannun, CEO Michel Alaby and other C-level executives from Brazilian organizations.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
