Dubai \u2013 Brazilian producers of ceramic tiles seeking a share of the Arab market need to face strong competition. The dispute is not just with European nations, but with the local producers themselves. Rak Ceramics, the largest producer of ceramic facing in the Arab country, is present in 150 countries and has daily production of 225,000 square metres. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have no competition,\u201d said the business development manager at the company, Omar A. Ibrahim, who is at the Big 5, in Dubai, as an exhibitor. The company, headquartered in Ras Al Khaimah, is part of a group of 14 companies, Rak Group, owned by the deputy ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, Khater Massad.<\/p>\n
According to Ibrahim, the crisis did not affect the company business. Last year, sales totalled US$ 524 million, and this year, expectations are to reach US$ 800 million. Whereas production at other companies had to drop due to the crisis, the manager said that at Rak Ceramics production rose by 10%. The flooring made by the Arab company is present in large construction works in the Gulf and worldwide.<\/p>\n
Apart from factories in the Emirates, Rak also has production lines in India, China, Sudan, Bangladesh and Iran. The company\u2019s global production is 325,000 square metres of ceramic tiles a day. \u201cOur product is high quality\u201d said Ibrahim. According to him, after the Emirates, the main markets for the company are the GCC, with 22% and Europe, with 22.5%.<\/p>\n
According to the manager, Brazil could be a great competitor on the Arab market, but, due to the distance, the freight cost becomes a serious problem. \u201cI know that the quality of Brazilian products is very good,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On the European side, Mapisa Cer\u00e2mica, from Spain, is also present at the Big 5. The company, in the market since 1973, started exporting to the Arabs in the 1980s and the countries of the Middle East currently answer to 35% of company production. "The Arab and Russian markets are our main markets,\u201d said the manager at Mapisa, David de La Cruz.<\/p>\n
With 250 employees and production of 1.2 million square metres a year, Mapisa exports to almost all continents. According to Cruz, this is the first time that the company participates in the Big 5. "We expected a much smaller number of visitors, but I was surprised. I made many potential contacts,\u201d said Cruz, who closed deals with new Arab clients at the fair.<\/p>\n
Sales by the company are directly to retailers in the Arab market. \u201cWe do not work with exclusiveness,\u201d he said. \u201cOne of the advantages of the Spanish market is that we are very close to the Arabs, different from Brazil,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Despite the great competition, Brazilian companies in the sector of ceramics closed deals at the Big 5. Itagres, for example, closed deals with companies in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, as well as India and Spain itself. Villagres, which already has clients in the Arab market, also closed an order with a client in Dubai.<\/p>\n
"The Brazilian competitors in the Arab market are very strong. At the fair, I noticed that I have to adapt my product to the taste of the Arabs,\u201d said the export manager at Villagres, Jorge Martins.<\/p>\n
*Translated by Mark Ament<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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