Dubai – Bom Bril’s ad campaign claims that it has "one thousand and one uses." And these include civil construction. The traditional Brazilian steel wool manufacturer also makes a fibre out of the same material which, mixed with concrete, reinforces building structures. The company is showcasing the product for the first time at the Big 5 Show, a trade fair for the construction industry in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and just like other companies in the Brazilian pavilion, it is seeking new markets.
The brand’s export manager, Regina Cohen, told ANBA this Wednesday (24th) that the company manufactures the fibre ever since it was established, but for export purposes only. The leading markets, which generated long-term contracts, used to be the United States, the European Union and Latin American countries, but the international financial crisis has led these deals to decline significantly.
The solution was to set out for new markets. "We had never felt the need to go prospecting, the demand used to be much stronger than the supply, but now the world has turned upside down," said Regina. Thus far, according to her, the contacts made have been positive. "I have enjoyed the fair, I think it was well directed, the volume of objective contacts has been good," she added.
The curious thing is that even though the product has been manufactured by the company for 60 years now, it is being regarded by visitors as a "new technology," according to Regina, because it is little known in the region and even in Brazil. The material is meant to be used in flooring at public places with high traffic, such as parking lots, as it prevents cracks that may be caused by attrition.
The fibre, according to her, is a by-product of steel wool manufacturing, so the output is quite strong, as the company is a leading brand in the Brazilian cleaning products industry. Regina wants to meet clients interested in importing directly, with no middlemen.
Along similar lines, Granipex is seeking new markets for its stone pavements and facing. Just like Bom Bril, its main clients used to be in the United States and Europe. "But the crisis led us to try new things," said the general manager of the unit that the Brazilian company maintains in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, Gisella Tortoriello.
She is pleased with the number of visitors. Granipex’s space is visibly one of the most sought-after in the Brazilian pavilion at the Big 5. According to Gisella, there is strong interest in granite in yellow and beige tones, widely used in the region, as well as tones considered "exotic," such as one that looks like rust.
The company has made a few sales to the Middle East in the past, but they were small ones. "The idea is really to increase their share [in our foreign sales]," said Gisella, who is also attending the fair for the first time.
Marketing
Already on the market is Deca, a bathroom ceramics and metals manufacturer, represented in Dubai and the region as a whole by Arteco, owned by partners Mohamed Elshamy and Ehab Al Jamal. "Here, we have introduced our products to architects and interior decorators, who have responded well," said Elshamy.
Arteco has represented Deca for two years now and, according to him, the items have good market potential, because they combine a wide variety of models, quality and good pricing compared with its European competitors.
Elshamy and his partner own two stores in Dubai and intend to open a third one. According to him, Brazilian products as a whole are considered new to the market and require marketing actions. This is why the company is exhibiting at the fair. "More people are getting to know us," he said.
In turn, Marcos Pinto, of mining company Mineração Guidoni, claimed that attendance at the fair is weaker this year. The company is exhibiting at the Big 5 for the fifth time. "We have made many contacts, but nothing concrete,’ he said.
The main obstacles, according to him, are competition with Chinese products, which are cheaper, and the lack of new projects in Dubai. In the past, the company supplied material for the flooring of the Mall of the Emirates, one of the largest and most popular in Dubai. Exports are the company’s main line of action.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
