Geovana Pagel
São Paulo – Furniture industry Sipiolli, based in the city of Mirassol, in the interior of the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo, has been exporting racks and shelves to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria since the end of last year. Aiming at further export to the Arab market, the producer has already confirmed participation in the Index furniture fair, scheduled for between September 22 and 26 in Dubai.
"This year, our expectations with regard to Index are much greater, especially due to the partnership with a distributor who is going to sell our products to various countries in the region. We hope to sign a larger contract, guaranteeing regular sales," stated Newton Cláudio Silva Pinto, the company commercial director.
Sales to the countries in the Middle East and North Africa took place soon after company participation at the fair, currently considered one of the most important furniture sector events.
"As we already knew that our product had all characteristics to answer to the taste of the Arab market, we decided to participate in the fair. It worked out so well that we immediately signed a contract with a local distributor (in Dubai) and few months later we closed the first sales contracts," he pointed out.
According to the manager, the fact that the Arabs are moving further and further away from the United States also contributed to increasing the acceptance of Brazilian products.
In the 2004 edition of Index, the company is once again going to exhibit its produce at a collective stand, organized by the Brazilian Furniture Export Promotion Program (Promóvel).
The news this year, according to the businessman, is that each company will have a separate space in the stand.
The Sipiolli racks and stands are produced using chipboard and MDF planks. The factory, established in 1990, produces 15,000 items/month, generates 117 direct jobs, and 300 indirect jobs. Today, around 10% of company revenues, not revealed, are due to export. The main Sipiolli import markets are countries in South America, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East.
Promóvel
Promóvel is an Integrated Sector Program (PSI) organized by the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex). Established in 1998, the project currently includes 15 Brazilian states and 602 companies, being 438 organized in regional groups.
The project objective is to operate in the training of Brazilian furniture companies for operation on the foreign market and to provide incentives through commercial promotion activities.
The program uses Federal government funds to rent spaces, set up stands at international fairs, and hire foreign interpreters.
Export
In 2003, Brazil exported US$ 1.76 billion in wood, and US$ 661 million in furniture. The Middle East is responsible for the import of 3% of the world furniture trade. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait together import US$ 2.1 billion in furniture.
In the first half of 2004, Brazilian furniture export rose 45% in comparison to the same period last year. The volume rose from US$ 288 million to US$ 418 million.
Contact
Telephone: (+5517) 3253.9393
Homepage: www.sipiolli.com.br
E-mail: sipiolli@sipiolli.com.br
