São Paulo – The São Paulo-based trading company Expogear Automotive first did business with the Arab world approximately 20 years ago, and now the region is one of its main markets. The company exports vehicle parts to Syria, Egypt, Iraq and United Arab Emirates, according to the company owner Cleber Felix.
Expogear specializes in parts for trucks and buses, but also sells parts for tractors and automobiles. The target markets are Middle East, Africa, and South America. The company has exported to countries such as Russia and South Korea, but doesn’t anymore due to being unable to offer adequate prices. Near the Arab world, the trading company also supplies to Iran and Turkey.
The owner of Expogear has been gearing up to constantly improve service to the Arab market. He is learning to speak Arabic and has some Arab-like habits, such as not drinking alcohol or eating pork, which helps in relationships with customers. “Culture is important, history is important, and religion is important,” says Felix.
He isn’t very optimistic regarding the future of sales to Arab country and exports in general. Felix says sales have been declining since 2008, when the world economic crisis started. He believes that from now on, the countries will probably shut off their markets even further to protect local companies. The Middle East economy is also suffering from lowered oil prices and declining oil exports, he says.
Expogear was established in 1992 and intermediates and consolidates sales of Brazilian auto parts manufacturers. The work entails formulating the order, obtaining certifications, taking care of shipping, tracking the goods, and doing post-sale monitoring of product delivery. He explains that each market has its idiosyncrasies. In Syria, ships cannot pass through Israeli ports.
One of Expogear’s tasks is to meet importers’ requests. He claims that the operation of seeking several types of products and shipping them all at once via the trading company is more advantageous to the buyer than placing several small orders. The company also operates in other areas.
One such area is contacting Brazilian manufacturers to attend international fairs together, sharing booth costs and bilingual staff, among other things. Expogear also does foreign promotion for specific manufacturers. Most are companies which have no export structures, but “have quality products which adhere by international specifications,” says Felix.
Contact:
Expogear
Telephone: (+55 11) 3895-1995
Email: www.expogear.com.br
Website: www.expogear.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
