Alexandre Rocha*
alexandre.rocha@anba.com.br
São Paulo – Making use of the development process of companies in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt is one of the objectives of Brazilian companies that are going to participate, at the end of May, in a delegation to North Africa that is being promoted by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex). This is the case with Nitriflex, a synthetic rubber factory that wants to supply raw material for industries of components for shoes, construction material and others.
"We are seeking business partners, that is, transformation industries," said to ANBA the company export manager, Márcio Lario. The search is for companies that produce shoes, rubber hoses, rubber floors, rubbery fabrics, gloves, rubber components in general and engineering companies, as the raw material may be used in sealers, glues and temperature insulation. He is also going to seek distributors in the region.
"The growth rates of these countries has attracted our attention, as they are greater than that of Brazil," stated Lario. According to figures supplied by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Egypt grew 6.8% last year, Morocco, 7.3% and Tunisia, 5.3%. Brazil grew 3.7% and the world growth average was 5.4%.
The company, according to Lario, is already a leader in its area on the domestic market, but this answers to just half the organizations revenues of R$ 120 million (US$ 59 million). The other half comes from the foreign market. Nitriflex exports to 46 countries, among them some Arab nations. The organization has already made sales to the three countries to be visited by the delegation, as well as to Algeria, Lebanon and Syria, and is currently negotiating with an importer in the United Arab Emirates.
Nitriflex has been in operation for 36 years, having been established as a joint venture between Brazilian state-owned oil company Petrobras and rubber manufacturer Goodyear, but is currently entirely private. The company employs 300 people and has a factory in Rio de Janeiro. Exports, however, started growing in the 1990s.
The delegation to North Africa will take place between May 28th and June 05th, and will focus mainly on the food, machinery and equipment, cosmetics, medical and dentistry equipment, material and equipment for the civil construction industry, and shoe sectors.
Further information:
Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce
Marketing Department
Tel: (+55 11) 3147-4071 / 4072 / 4073
E-mail: marketing@ccab.org.br
Nitriflex
Tel: (+55 11) 6886-3300
E-mail: contato@nitriflex.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
