São Paulo – Grupo Lef, the São Paulo-based tile manufacturing company, plans to increase its exports from 14% to 20% of production this year and is focusing on Africa and North America. The enterprise sold to the United Arab Emirates and Libya in 2006 and 2010, but doesn’t sell to Arab countries at this time. “In order for us to start working with the UAE, some market research is in order, as is an action plan,” said export manager Juliana Favaro Polastri.
The deals with Arab countries were intermediated by a representative in the region, following contacts made in 2009 at the Big 5, the construction industry fair held annually in Dubai and which Grupo Lef attended as part of a project of the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil). Exports amounted to roughly ten containers, or 18,700 square meters. Polastri stresses that the Arab market holds great promise.
Presently, Grupo Lef ships product direct to 50 countries. The leading buying markets are, in this order, Central, South and North America. “The company’s goal is to constantly increase its sales, underpinned by a good strategic plan,” says the export manager regarding the foreign market. In order to grow abroad, the company invests in trade shows and prospecting trips every year.
Polastri claims that certain expectations for 2015 call for attention, such as exchange rate fluctuation, which scares clients somewhat. She claims the ideal scenario would be for the US dollar to uphold economic equilibrium, making it easier to gain loyal customers abroad. “A benchmark rate that would allow exporters and importers to relate coherently,” the executive says.
Grupo Lef owns manufacturing facilities in Piracicaba, where it makes ceramic, porcellanite and mono-porous tiles for walls, floors and façades. Monthly output is 3 million square meters. The products are sold to resellers and directly to developers. The latter is a recent development.
The company was founded in 1994 and makes product under the brands ViaRosa Porcelanato and ViaÁpia, apart from Lef. The company reports that it is one of the tile industry leaders in Brazil. Its products are sold in 15,000 points of sale.
Contact:
Grupo Lef
Telephone: +55 (19) 3429-7000
Website: www.lef.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
