Marina Sarruf*
São Paulo – Egyptian company Lotas For Industry, which trades electromechanical components and products, is seeking Brazilian companies interested in having an assembly line in the Arab country. The company factory is responsible for the assembly of electric showerheads and filters made by Brazilian companies Fame and Pozzani. "The 1,200-square-metre area is not completely used. There is much space for assembly of new products," stated the commercial representative of Lotas For Industry, Abdel Wahab Mansour.
According to him, the idea is to find small and medium Brazilian companies that make any product, except for foods, as the factory is located in an industrial zone that does not accept companies in the food sector, to establish partnerships. Lotas For Industry is located in the Sixth of October industrial hub, in Giza, approximately 40 kilometres away from Cairo, the country capital. According to Mansour, the hub has over 300 factories in various sectors and offers good infrastructure to companies.
"I see good opportunities for Brazilian companies to have their products assembled in Egypt. Apart from the Arab country being strategically well positioned, very central, Egypt has various trade agreements with other economic blocs," stated Mansour. According to him, Brazilian companies are going to make use of fiscal advantages granted by the Egyptian government and will be able to have their products shipped throughout the region.
According to Mansour, production costs in Egypt are lower than in Brazil, permitting companies to economize in freight and export. He also recalled the agreement the country has with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), which grants Egypt the right to export to any of the 23 countries in the group without customs fees. "We are open to negotiations with Brazilian companies," stated Mansour.
Lotas For Industry was established in October 1999 and is a company connected to the Lotas Comércio Exterior Group, which has a unit in São Paulo and also one in Egypt. The group represents in Brazil 14 Egyptian state-owned and private makers of fibres, threads, fabrics and garments. In Egypt, Lotas Comércio Exterior represents great Brazilian companies, like aircraft maker Embraer, Weg Electric Motors, Villares Group, in the ironworks sector, Kepler Weber Group, in the grain storage equipment sector, and other companies that make agricultural machinery.
Contact
Lotas For Industry
Tel. (+20 2) 760-9598
Fax: (+20 2) 760-1128
Email: lotas@tedata.net.eg
*Translated by Mark Ament
