São Paulo – The dry, hot weather of Middle East countries is paving the way to the products of the company Joape, based in the state of Rio Grande Do Sul. The climatizers manufacturing company began exporting to the region in February this year, and already it has plans to expand.
“We are looking for a partner in the region,” says Joape’s foreign trade manager Lucas Pohlmann. “Our policy is to always develop a distributor, providing training and support so they may sell in their own countries,” he says.
Right now, the company is selling directly from its headquarters, in state capital Porto Alegre, and also via a distributor in Italy. Deals have been closed with clients in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Iraq, and negotiations are in progress with buyers from Oman and Yemen.
According to Pohlmann, the Arabs buy climatizers to use in medium and large areas. “They use it at malls, restaurants, open-air food courts, clubs, hotels, trade shows and events,” he says. Regarding sales volume, he says the orders are shipped in closed 20 foot and 40 foot containers.
The company started exporting eight years ago. Presently, it has distributors in 12 countries and foreign sales account for 8% of total revenues. “Our goal is to reach 20% soon,” says the manager. He did not disclose the company’s annual revenues, but said the output ranges from 1,500 to 2,000 climatizers per month.
The number of foreign distributors should also go up. “We have perfected our product and obtained certification in several countries. By the end of 2012 we want to have 20 distributors in 20 different countries,” he says. The leading markets for Joape right now are the United States and Latin America, but the share of Arab countries is likely to increase.
“I see a very strong potential in those countries. They have lots of money and strong tourism potential. Our product is linked to that area, it upgrades tourist spots,” says Pohlmann.
Established in 1994, Joape has 120 employees.
Contact
Joape
Tel.: +55 51 3205-2555/ +55 11 8425-5252
Email: export@joape.com.br
Site: www.joape.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
