A total of 28 Brazilian companies will showcase their products and services for the construction industry at their country’s national pavilion when the Big 5 show opens this month. 

These will include manufacturers and traders of ceramics, ornamental stones, chemical products, household utensils, wood, bathroom accessories, sanitary fittings, electronics, machinery and iron and steel equipment, among others.
The Brazilian pavilion is expected to showcase the country’s expertise in civil construction and its immense potential to satisfy the demands of the booming construction markets of the region.
The Arab world currently ranks 22nd among Brazil’s trade partners and the Brazilian pavilion aims to change this by creating greater awareness of the high-quality products and services offered by the country.
“The Arab countries are currently in the 22nd position, importing around $30 million worth of Brazilian construction materials. Among the reasons for this low ranking is the lack of awareness of the high quality of Brazilian products, which is a well-known fact in the more demanding markets,” says a spokesperson for Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
“Changing this scenario is one of the goals of the Brazilian pavilion, which will spread over a 480 sq m area in the main concourse at the Big 5 show this year. Brazilian companies are now also making their presence felt in trade missions, events, fairs and conferences in Middle East countries. This is the fourth successive time that the country will participate at this trade show,” he adds.
Brazil’s expertise in civil construction has been acknowledged for over three decades and the sector accounts for around for 13 per cent of the national GDP of $1.655 trillion, as per the CIA Fact Book.
“This sector also employs for 13 per cent of the labour force in Brazil, or a total of 9.057 million workers. The current economic stability has also given a boost to the construction industry. Other factors such as a reduction in tax on industrial products, increase in home loans and in salaries indicates a 5.1 per cent increase in construction GDP, above the 3.7 per cent predicted,” says the spokesperson.
He continues: “Some Brazilian construction firms such as Norberto Odebrechet have been extremely successful in the international market, with a strong presence in 20 countries across the globe and over 500 construction projects outside Brazil. These include a harbour terminal in Djibouti in East Africa completed in 2006 and the Ras Al Khor highway, under construction in Dubai in the UAE. It has also finished a ground satellite transmission terminal in Kuwait at Arifjan earlier this year where it worked in collaboration with the North American Austin. The Andrade Gutierrez Group is another frontrunner with several prestigious construction projects in Brazil as well as abroad,” he says.
Brazil has a lot to offer in terms of construction materials as it is rich in natural resources besides being open to innovative technology. The country’s offerings include wood, ceramics, stones, chemicals, metals, electronics, machinery and equipment. Brazil exported over $3 billion worth of construction materials last year, registering a growth of 16 per cent as compared to the previous year, according to a study by the Brazilian Association of Construction Material Industry (Abramat).
“The primary destination of these exports was the US, which purchased $787 million worth of products or 26 per cent of all Brazilian exports,” he says.
Brazil, renowned for its ceramic industry, is acknowledged to be the world’s third biggest producer and fourth exporter of ceramic products. It has the second largest national consumer market and an installed production capacity of 706 million sq m according to this year’s estimates, with output expected to reach 665 million sq m this year — an estimated growth of around 11 per cent as compared to last year, the spokesman says.
“There are currently 94 manufacturers of ceramic products with a total 117 industrial plants in the Brazilian market, which are coordinated by the National Association of Ceramic Covering Manufacturers (Anfacer). This powerful sector will be represented at Big 5 by 10 of its largest companies that include Atlas, Batistella, Casagrande, Ceusa, Gail, Gyotoku, Inti, Itagres, Mosarte and Pamesa,” says the spokesperson.
“Some companies from the Brazilian ceramic sector have already made inroads and established operations in the Middle East.  In the region, the UAE tops the list of importers of Brazilian ceramics, followed by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, Libya, Qatar and Lebanon. Last year, the sector earned $430 million in sales. While the main destinations of Brazilian ceramic tile exports were the US, Chile, Argentina and the EU, Middle East countries ranked 15th, purchasing the equivalent to $5.8 million. However, between January to August  this year, exports to the region have already shown a 9 per cent increase in relation to the same period in the previous year,” he adds.
Brasilit, a Brazilian subsidiary of one of the Saint-Gobain Group, one of the oldest European companies and part of the ceramic tile industry, will also be exhibiting at the show.
Brazilian stones are also popular in the international market, because of the high quality at competitive prices and the versatile range of  materials, colours and patterns — around 600 patterns and over 1,000 deposits. Brazilian dimension stone export figures last year increased by 32.30 per cent with $1.045 billion worth of sales to more than 100 countries across the globe.
“Brazil is the world’s second largest exporter of slate after Spain and the third in granite blocks, after China and India. It is also the second largest general supplier of stones to the US, the first being Italy, as well as being the leading supplier of granite slab to that market. The five main export destination in order of revenues are the US, Italy, China, Spain and the UK.
Represented at the Big 5 from the Brazilian stone segment will be eight major companies – Braminas, Expogranit, Itu Mármores, Mineracao Guidoni, MP Granitos, SBC Pierres, SP Stone and Vitoria Stone – which will showcase the diversity of products offered by the country.
Other Brazilian construction material sectors being represented at the Big 5 this year include wood (Braseco and WK Comercial); bathroom accessories (Cony); sanitary fittings (Docol and Forusi); metal housings (Eurobrás); metal fixtures and tubes and steel doors (Gravia); household appliances, accessories for furniture and electrical equipment (Soprano); machinery and equipment (Starret); and household utensils (Tramontina).