São Paulo – Brazilian lighting companies want to export to Arab countries. Via the Lux Brasil commercial promotion project, manufacturers are targeting Saudi Arabia, as well as Germany, Chile, the United States, the United Kingdom and Peru. Some of them believe the Gulf is a potential buyer of their products, especially companies that offer customized projects and those with typically Brazilian designs and materials.
The Lux Brasil project was created in 2010 by the Brazilian Lighting Industry Association (Abilux) in partnership with the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), which works on projects with assorted organizations. Planned actions include trips, industry shows and marketing actions.
According to Lux Brasil Commercial Intelligence manager Clarissa Marchioretto Amadio, Brazilian lighting companies have exported since the 1970s, but the industry comprises a very wide range of characteristics and areas. There are companies focusing on public, commercial and decorative lighting.
As for the Arab countries, she claims the focus is on projects and products for decoration. Saudi Arabia has been selected as a result of surveys conducted for the project. “Brazilian companies can rise from the pack in those countries by emphasizing their unique Brazilian features in projects and design. They appreciate it,” Amadio told ANBA. She said competitors include the Chinese, when it comes to pricing, and Europe and the United States when it comes to design and finishing. “We can be an alternative by combining quality, technology and design at lower prices,” she said.
One of the enterprises that are betting on the Arab market is Aver Metais, out of Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul. Director Jefferson Aver said the company has only recently started going international. The intention to export, however, goes back a long time. Besides, he says his chandeliers and fixtures match the tastes of Arab buyers.
“We offer a higher value-added product that can be the ‘jewel’ in a household, including gold- and silver-plated items. But the true highlights are items carrying Brazilian rock crystals. Our style is classical, and this appeals to the tastes of Arab clients,” he said. The company’s chandeliers can cost as much as three times less as competitors’ USD 8,000 price point.
Fiber optics projects company Fasa is also betting on the Arab market, although its marketing director Wilson Sallouti claims the project is still at an “embryonic” stage. Fasa works with lighting for pools, fountains and interiors, among other services. “Our products are customizable and they push the envelope, and that’s well-suited to projects in that region. Fiber optics applications are consistent with settings that involve water, because the fiber is non-conductive of electricity, as well as museums and works of art, because they do not transmit infrared signals (and do not generate heat),” Sallouti said. The company is based in the coastal city of Peruíbe, São Paulo, and it ships product to Chile and Bolivia.
According to data supplied by the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade and organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Abilux member companies grossed USD 191.1 million in export revenues last year, down 15% from 2014. The top buyer was Mexico, followed by the United States, India and China. According to the Lux Brasil project website, the partnership with Apex-Brasil expires at the end of this year, and provides for BRL 3.1 million (approximately USD 801,200) in investment between December 2014 and December 2016.
Additional information:
Lux Brasil – http://www.luxbrasil.net/
Aver Metais – http://www.avermetais.com.br/ and +55 54 3220-4043
Fasa – http://www.fibraotica.com.br/ and +55 13 3458-2878
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
