In 2015, the total exported in dollars by the companies supported by the Orchestra Brasil, a project to encourage exports, grew 9% over 2014. The performance is better than that of Brazilian companies not supported by the project and that manufacture the same products, which fell by 55.2% in the same period. The Orchestra Brasil Project supports manufacturers that supply to the furniture industry, including components and technology producers, and is run through a partnership between the Furniture Industry Association of Bento Gonçalves (Sindmóveis) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex -Brasil).
The growth was achieved despite the gloomy scenario for the total Brazilian exports, which decreased by 15.1% when compared to 2014. The exports of Brazilian manufactured products declined by 8.2%. The President of Sindmóveis Henrique Tecchio, points out that some other indicators confirm the good performance of the project. "The number of markets supplied by the companies participating in the Orchestra Brasil Project expanded 5.3%, and the number of exporting companies grew by 7.1%" he says.
Crippa Máquinas, a member company of the project, concentrates its exports to Argentina and Bolivia. Currently, exports account for 10% of its turnover. The company’s export manager, Alexandre Pastrolin, highlights important negotiations in Bolivia through the project and great prospects in Peru and Chile with the participation in fairs and missions. "We can say that our target markets have outdated machinery, which offers us an opportunity to provide cutting-edge machines at much more attractive price compared to European equipment, mainly due to the appreciation of the dollar/euro," he says.
The markets that most contributed to the positive performance were the United States – the main destination, with a growth of 13.7% – and Bolivia, where exports grew by 174.3% in the period, making the country the second largest importer of the Orchestra Brasil Project. Other countries that can be highlighted for their growth include Mexico (8.7%), Uruguay (10.7%), Canada (120.2%), Guatemala (4.2%), Turkey (72.6%), Spain (277.8%) and Belgium (63.6%).
The Orchestra Brasil Project has been carried out since 2006 promoting the competitive inclusion of suppliers to the woodworking sector in the international market. To achieve this goal it promotes market research, missions to prospect markets, individual actions, Buyer’s Projects, Seller’s Projects and Image projects, in addition to taking part in major world trade fairs. Currently, Orchestra Brasil comprises 62 manufacturing companies. The priority markets for 2016 are South Africa, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Turkey and Vietnam.
