São Paulo – The only Arab company at tile industry fair Expo Revestir, taking place until Friday (6th) at Transamérica Expo Center, São Paulo, RAK Ceramics is attending the event for the second time and expects to branch out in South America, where Brazil is its biggest market. The ceramic cladding company’s goal is a twofold increase in sales from last year, as well as opening a branch in the country.
According to RAK Ceramics senior executive Ranko Lukic, Brazil is one of the highlights of the company’s expansion plans, and local deals should do nothing but grow for years to come. “We have been in South America for over 20 years now, and Brazil is our top market in the region. We want to start operations here really soon. Brazil has a very numerous population, and ours is an advanced industry with a refined market. We know the people here enjoy quality,” Lukic told ANBA this Thursday (5th) at the RAK Ceramics stand in the exhibition.
According to him, the company shipped US$ 5 million worth of product to South America last year, and the goal is to double sales in the region in 2015. “We want to get to US$ 20 million in the next few years,” he asserted.
The executive says RAK Ceramics plans on starting operations in Brazil in a few years, so it can cater to the local and South American markets. “Our investment, which was US$ 3,000 here at the exhibition, will go up, because we’ll need local personnel, a depot for product storage, a showroom,” he said.
Lukic said the products that the company sells in Brazil “complement” themselves with what is available in the country. “The market is very competitive here, but we sell unique products. So, I believe that we can complement ourselves with what local suppliers already have”, he said. One of the products presented is a porcelain plaque that can be used in hotel lobbies, for instance. The plaque can be cut in large measures. A single stone can have one meter in width and three meters in length.
With its central office in Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, Rak Ceramics is the world’s biggest manufacturer of ceramics and tiles. The annual revenues stand at roughly US$ 1 billion. The company operates in more than 160 countries. Expo Revestir expects to receive 50,000 visitors from the decoration and finishing sectors. Buyers from 52 countries are at the event. Among the companies from abroad, 40 attend as exhibitors.
Service
Expo Revestir
Transamérica Expo Center
Until Friday (6th), from 10 AM to 7 PM
Avenue Doutor Mário Vilas Boas Rodrigues, 387, Santo Amaro, São Paulo – SP
Information: http://www.exporevestir.com.br/
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum and Sérgio Kakitani
