Brazilian delegation prospects more than US$ 60 million during Colombiatex
Between January 21 and 23, Plaza Mayor, the most popular event space in the city of Medellín, Colombia, received the largest Brazilian delegation in the history of the Colombiatex fair in Las América. During the three days of the main event in the textile sector in Latin America, the 44 Brazilian companies signed a total of US$ 8.96 million in business, with a projection of closing an additional US$ 62.84 million in the next 12 months.
Companies in the textile and clothing sector, machinery and equipment, and footwear and components, were supported by Texbrasil, Brazil Machinery Solutions and By Brazil Components, Machinery and Chemicals internationalization programs – carried out through partnerships between Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) and the Brazilian Textile and Clothing Industry Association (Abit), the Brazilian Machinery and Equipment Industry Brazilian (ABIMAQ) and the Brazilian Leather, Footwear and Manufacturing Components Companies Association (ASSINTECAL), respectively.
The 32nd edition of the fair received more than 13,500 buyers from 33 countries. Of these, 12,500 are from Colombia and 1,500 are from countries such as Ecuador, Peru, and Mexico. Among exhibitors, 546 companies were from 21 places around the globe, with emphasis on Brazilian, Indian, and Italian delegations.
Brazil was awarded by Inexmoda. The fair’s organizer gave the entities Abit, ABIMAQ, and ASSINTECAL three plaques of thanks for all the support to the Colombian textile sector in recent years. Inexmoda’s executive director, Carlos Eduardo Botero, thanked the partner and commented on the trade agreement signed between Colombia and Brazil, which brings tariffs of the textile and clothing sector to zero: “We are still celebrating the agreement, which brings many possibilities, commercial transactions and presence in our businesses”.
Textile and clothing
According to Lilian Kaddissi, Texbrasil’s executive manager, this edition will go down in history. “The 32 companies in our sector that participated in the event had a very high number of closed deals, which hit the mark of US$ 8 million. For the next 12 months, the perspective is for more than US$ 60 million in negotiations resulting from the event. We are really satisfied and optimistic about the results, which were 30% better than the sales during the year 2019,” she assures.
The textile sector group was formed by the companies Bonor, Berlan, Canatiba, Cataguases, CMJ Textile, Coltex, Covolan Têxtil, Dalila, Draft, Ecotag Lacres, Estrela Aviamentos, Expor Manequins, Hudtelfa, Creora, J. Serrano, La Estampa Fabric & Arts, Latina Textil, Lunelli Textil, Linhas Trichê, Tecelagem Macias, Nicoletti Textil, Paramount, Paranatex Textil, Rosset, Salotex, Sancris, SantaConstancia, Santana, Santanense, Santista Jeans Wear, TBM Têxtil and Vicunha Textil.
Santista, which have been participating in Colombiatex since its second edition, says it is a mandatory event on the calendar. According to Sueli Pereira, fashion and communication manager, this year the company bet on reimagining its first success and it worked. “First Denim is a tribute to Santista’s 90th birthday. In this edition, we brought it in two versions: stretch and 100% cotton, both in black,” she details. The manager also says that she noticed a greater movement and optimism in the corridors of the fair compared to 2019.
Lunelli Têxtil and Coltex participate for the second time at the fair. Ana Luiza Busnardo, from the export area of Lunelli Têxtil, says that the event is already the most important one for the company in Latin America. “We exported to Paraguay and Argentina and, this operation has grown a lot in the last two years. We believe that Colombiatex was a key factor in making this happen,” she says.
Alexandre de Oliveira, Coltex’s commercial director, comments that the company closed deals with countries such as Ecuador, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, and Chile. “It is a fair that attracts buyers who come to do business. I found the diverse profile of professionals, who are from large, medium and small companies, very interesting,” he concludes.
Machinery and equipment
The Brazilian machinery and equipment sector was represented by eight manufacturers: Audaces, Castilho Máquinas Têxteis, Censi Máquinas, Comelato Roncato, Delta Equipamentos, Inarmeg, Orizio, and SocioTec. They closed US$ 669 thousand during the event and prospects an amount of US$ 2.2 million for the following 12 months.
“Brazil is a reference in the machinery and accessories sector for the textile and clothing industry in Latin America. We work hard in innovation, especially in technologies that improve machinery and equipment intended for the sector. An evidence of this is the expressive result of the negotiations during Colombiatex,” says ABIMAQ’s foreign market executive director and BMS’ manager, Patrícia Gomes.
For Fábio Kreutzfeld, Delta’s director, a BMS company that attended the event, the fair had a more optimistic and focused audience for this edition. “Buyers, managers and directors were there presenting demands from their sectors and looking for differentiated technology. Cost reduction, process automation and standardization, and quality assurance were the most discussed topics for the competitiveness of the Colombian industry,” he explains.
Leather, footwear, and manufacturing components
For the four companies participating in By Brasil (Conexão Malhas, LCM Foils, SMS Metais, and Alpargateria Cervera), estimated business generation was US$ 320 thousand. Entrepreneurs in the leather, footwear, and manufacturing components sector made 223 qualified contacts, 68% of whom were new customers.
According to Luiz Valdemir Ribas da Cruz Junior, international market coordinator and market intelligence at ASSINTECAL, this is the second time that the program supports companies at Colombiatex. “It was a very important opening. There is a potential for component/material companies to participate in the fair, as the attendance of footwear companies was greater than expected,” he says. And he adds: “We noticed a greater trend in attendance since the fair has a footprint which is also focused on fashion news and new textile materials with the option of applying to footwear, different from traditional fairs in the segment, which are tighter and more targeted”.
About the Brazil Machinery Solutions Program
As a result of the partnership between the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) and the Brazilian Machinery and Equipment Industry Association (ABIMAQ), the Brazil Machinery Solutions Program aims to promote Brazilian machinery and equipment exports, as well as to strengthen the image of Brazil as a manufacturer of mechanical capital goods in a sustainable manner, with technology and competitiveness. The BMS Program has more than 400 members, among industries from different sectors, such as agricultural, textile, mining, plastic, and packaging. In 2019, companies associated with the BMS Program exported to 168 countries.
About By Brasil Components, Machinery and Chemicals
Brazilian manufacturers in the component sector interested in expanding their commercial relations with the foreign market have an opportunity to participate, as well as 300 other companies, in the By Brasil Components, Machinery and Chemicals project, carried out by Assintecal, Apex-Brasil, and Abrameq, which intends to promote a good performance of exports and, consequently, of the sector. The project has appropriate solutions for each internationalization level, keeping commercial promotion, intelligence, training activities, among others, within the companies’ reach.
About Texbrasil
The Brazilian Textile and Fashion Industry Internationalization Program (Texbrasil) works with companies in the textile and clothing sector to develop strategies to win the global market. For almost 20 years, it has helped around 1500 brands to enter the export path, making US$ 3.6 billion in business. The Program is carried out through a partnership between Abit and the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil).