Mexico is by far the largest buyer of Brazilian footwear manufacturing machinery and is an expanding market for tannery equipment. Fifteen Brazilian manufacturers exhibited their products at ANPIC, the fair organised by the Mexican Association of Suppliers to the Shoe Industry that closes today in Leon.

Brazil was featured at ANPIC for the fifth consecutive year under the coordination of ABRAMEQ – Brazilian Association of Manufacturers of Machines and Equipment for the Leather and Shoe Industry.  The Brazilian contingent included  BKS, Bremm & Peck, Copé, Erps, Güttler, Himapel, Himaco, Ivomaq, Kehl, Klein, Master, Mecsul, Michelon, NBN and Poppi.

Raul Ludwig, president of ABRAMEQ, was counting on a little help from the Euro to increase sales of Brazilian machines to Mexico and Central America. The appreciation of the currency is making it difficult for European suppliers to sell to developing countries, leaving the market open to the Brazilians.  “Many of the Brazilian manufacturers exhibiting at ANPIC are seeking representatives in Mexico,” commented Ludwig during the show.  “Others have already appointed distributors in the country and are exhibiting at their commercial partners’ stands. Some companies will be part of the ABRAMEQ stand where they will be expecting the meet clients from Central America too.”

As part of its international sales push, ABRAMEQ has also hired the services of Franco Rapetti.  The renowned international footwear and leather industry analyst will survey the eight ‘non-traditional’ markets that are seen as offering the greatest potential for ABRAMEQ members; namely Russia, the Ukraine, Turkey, India, Syria, Morocco, China and Thailand. “Brazil has already consolidated its image as reliable supplier in Latin America but we feel that we can go further afield,” commented Ludwig. “Mr. Rapetti is obviouly the man for the job for he was a consultant for ASSOMAC,  the Italian Association of Machinery Manufacturers, for over ten years.”

Mr. Rapetti knows well the leather and shoe production chain of 85 countries and says that because markets are becoming increasingly dynamic, they must be continuously analysed. As part of the survey process, he has already visited 28 Brazilian manufacturers/exporters in order to understand the nature of their respective offerings.

"As a consultant for other clients, I was already aware of the quality of Brazilian machines”, Mr. Rapetti affirmed.  “I just needed to see the level of organisation behind those products  exporting culture of their manufacturers”.   While Mr Rapetti did not underestimate the problems entailed in dealing with countries where Portuguese or Spanish are not the mother tongue, he believed the factories he visited had a good organisational abilities and great potential to increase their presence in the international market.   He also saw great commercial advantage in the modular nature of the Brazilian offerings, a trait which allows the customer to easily expand the production line in accordance with increases in demand.

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