On the heels of an encouraging performance by its construction sector so far this year, Brazil will have a strong presence at the Big 5 show with a total of 37 companies exhibiting over a 480 sq m pavilion in the main halls at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The Brazil pavilion, organised by the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) in partnership with the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, will bring together companies in the ceramic cladding, ornamental stones and metal hardware and bathroom accessories sector.
Designed by award-winning Brazilian architect and designer Ivan Resende, the pavilion will be split into sections, with the displayed products applied innovatively within the pavilion.
It is Brazil’s fifth participation at the Big 5 and this year the organisers and participants aim to showcase to buyers the huge variety of construction materials manufactured in Brazil, which also offer scope for customisation, says a spokesperson for the pavilion.
In fact, the might of Brazil’s production capacity in the civil construction sector will be on display at the show, he adds.
The civil construction production sector is one of the engines for growth in Brazil, which recorded a GDP of $1.314 trillion last year. Whereas the country grew 3.8 per cent when comparing figures for 2005 and 2006 and 5.4 per cent between 2006 and 2007, the construction sector recorded even more expressive figures: 4.7 per cent and 7.9 per cent, respectively.
Between 2005 and 2007, the Brazilian civil construction industry added value rose by 11 per cent, and investment in construction increased by 22.5 per cent.
Brazil’s civil construction sector is expected to post revenues touching $46.2 billion this year, according to a survey conducted by the Brazilian Association of the Construction Material Industry (Abramat).
The country’s construction industry alone exported $8.27 billion worth of products last year, representing an 8.95 per cent increase on the figures for 2006, according to another survey conducted by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
The main destinations of Brazilian exports in this sector were the US ($1.78 billion), Argentina ($872 million), the Arab countries ($379.91 million), Venezuela ($368.13 million) and Chile ($366.90 million).
When considered as a single export destination, the Arab countries ranked third in the list of destinations for Brazilian exports of construction materials. Although this accounts for just 4.59 per cent of the sector's total exports, this figure showed a growth of 21.92 per cent on that of 2006.
Among the Arab countries, the leading destinations were the UAE ($116.12 million), Saudi Arabia ($109.64 million), Morocco ($41.85 million), Oman ($21.94 million), and Algeria ($21.36 million).
Big 5 sectors
The three sectors in which Brazil will have a significant presence at the Big 5 show, boast figures that attest to the strength and supply capacity of its industry, says the spokesman.
He continues: “Brazil is a major player in the global stone industry due to its geo-diversity and already ranks among the leading exporter countries in the world, with an output of over 8 million tonnes a year of granite, slate, quartzite, marble and other natural materials.
“A total of 11,300 companies are estimated to operate in Brazil’s stone industry production sector, generating 140,000 direct and 420,000 job positions.
“Commercial transactions by the Brazilian stone industry, in the domestic and foreign markets, generate a turnover of around $4 billion a year. Exports of stones from Brazil reached $1.093 million last year, with sales to more than 120 countries in all continents.
“In the global ranking for these products, Brazil leapt from the 12th position in 1999 to the fifth position in 2006, with its market share increasing from 1.4 per cent to 5.1 per cent. In 2007, the country became the leading supplier of stones to the US market, known for its strict quality requirements.”
Last year, 42.3 per cent of the sector’s production went to the foreign market, Also, over the last 10 years, exports of higher added value processed stones have been rising continually.
Sales of ornamental stones to the GCC grew 95.6 per cent last year to a total value of $4.8 million compared with 2006.
“Brazilian stones enjoy wide acceptance in the Arab countries due to its variety of colours and textures, and also because they are offered along with several complementary products and services,” says the spokesman. “In the first quarter this year, stone industry exports saw a 39 per cent increase over the same period last year, whereas in the rest of the world there was a decrease of 10.95 per cent.”
In the ceramics sector, Brazil regularly achieves impressive results as well, he says. According to the Brazilian Association of Ceramic Tile Manufacturers (Anfacer), production of ceramic facings in Brazil reached 637 million sq m last year, distributed among flooring (432 million sq m), walls (155 million sq m), facades (12 million sq m) and porcelain items (39 million sq m). The country's total production capacity is 698 million sq m.
“Brazil ranked fourth among leading ceramic manufacturer countries worldwide, with output levels similar to those of Spain (third) and Italy (fifth),” the spokesman says. “Out of the total Brazilian output, 535 million sq m were sold in the domestic market, and 102 million sq m (or 16 per cent of the total) were absorbed by the export market. Of the latter, almost 90 per cent was shipped to the American continent, primarily the US, to which Brazil is the four largest supplier, with a 13.7 per cent market share.
In the Arab market too, Brazilian ceramics performed well, says the spokesman. Brazilian exports to the region grew 12.4 per cent in the first quarter of this year, in comparison with the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the non-ferrous metal artefacts and hardware sector (bathroom metals, door locks, and aluminium household utensils) produces, on an annual average, the equivalent of $2.4 billion and generates 93,000 jobs. The sector includes door locks and metal works, bathroom metals, aluminium frames, aluminium packaging, and household utensils segments.