São Paulo – Brazilian aerospace corporation Embraer has plans to expand its presence into Saudi Arabia. During the Brazil-Saudi Arabia Conference held in Riyadh by business group Lide on Monday, Caetano Spuldaro Neto, Embraer Defense and Security’s vice president of sales for the Middle East and Asia, spoke of the company’s plans for the country.
“We want to make Saudi Arabia an Embraer’s hub in the region”, Spuldaro said, according to information made public by Lide. The Brazilian press accompanying the event in person reported that the executive talked about the possibility of opening an engineering office, an aircraft completion center, an equipment production line, and training centers in the Arab country.
Lide reports that Spuldaro listed technology cooperation, the opportunity to sustainably develop the local industry, and access to new markets as the key areas of potential for Brazil-Saudi Arabia relationship in aerospace. He also mentioned the opportunity to work with Saudi businesses and government towards developing a local supply chain and human capital so that developing technologies together may be possible in the future.
Embraer is negotiating the sale of military transport aircraft C-390 Millennium to Saudi Arabia. “In defense we’re working with Saudi Arabia’s officials to foster the opportunity for the acquisition by the Royal Saudi Air Forces of the C-390 aircraft, the most innovative Brazilian product in tactical military transport. The aircraft has a load capacity of 26 tonnes (57,000 lb), a high performance, and a low operational cost. The acquisition could generate savings as high as USD 2 billion for the country over the coming 30 years,” he was quoted by Lide as saying.
Embraer is part of the business delegation that Lide took to the mission. Like other companies and associations, the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) participates, represented by its president Osmar Chohfi and the head of its office in Dubai, Rafael Solimeo. The mission runs from March 3 to 8 in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with a focus on discussing bilateral investments and opportunities. The ABCC is an institutional supporter.
Translation by Guilherme Miranda
