Alexandre Rocha*
alexandre.rocha@anba.com.br
São Paulo – A little over three years ago, ceramic tile manufacturer Gabriella Revestimentos Cerâmicos, based in the city of Criciúma, in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, decided to change its portfolio of products and enter the foreign market. From then on, the company conquered customers throughout the entire American continent and in South Africa. Now it wants to capitalise on the Middle Eastern construction boom and sell its products in the Gulf countries too.
To that extent, the company is going to participate in trade mission to Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex) are going to promote in the second half of November. "This market has been attracting much attention lately, it is often featured in the media, especially Dubai, which is undergoing a construction boom," said to ANBA the sales and management coordinator at Gabriella, Robson Caciatori.
During the trip, the Brazilian businessmen are going to visit construction sites and building material retail stores, and will attend seminars and business meetings at local chambers of commerce. They will also attend the Big 5 Show, the main fair for the sector, held in Dubai. "The Big 5 is held in high regard here in our region. We want to check it out and perhaps exhibit our products at the fair in the future," said Caciatori. The state of Santa Catarina is a traditional producer of ceramic tiles.
Although the company does not export to the Arab world yet, Caciatori stated that he already has a trade representative operating in some countries in the region, and has been contacted by storeowners there who were comparing prices. "There is a demand, though timid," he stated. Caciatori intends to broaden his list of contacts, and increase the promotion of his products in the three Middle Eastern countries to be visited by the mission.
Change in direction
In order to enter the foreign market, Gabriella started focusing on a specific niche. The company specialises in decorative items, such as listels and fillets – a sort of stripe used in the finishing of kitchen walls, bathrooms, and laundry areas -, wall tiles, mosaics, and other finishing materials.
After focusing on this segment, the company started to participate in international fairs and to close deals abroad. Currently, according to Caciatori, 25% of the production is exported, or approximately 15,000 square metres of decorative items per month. According to the coordinator, the factory can produce material in many different colours and decorative patterns. "We have more than 150 different models of fillets," he claimed.
Gabriella was founded in 1999, and presently has 114 employees, including workers and administrative personnel.
Contact
Gabriella Revestimentos Cerâmicos
Telephone: (+55 48) 3431-7021
E-mail: robson@gabcer.com.br
Site: www.gabriellanet.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
