Vipal Aims to be Key Material Supplier to Arab Retreaders

Vipal, the Brazilian retread materials supplier, is betting on greater sales abroad and is specifically seeking to increase its presences in new markets in the Middle East and North Africa. At the end of last year, company representatives were in Saudi Arabia, in the United Arab Emirates and in Sudan. “In the three countries the results were positive and new partnerships were established,” vice president João Carlos Paludo, told the Brazil Arab News Agency.

Vipal made its first sale to an Arab country (Lebanon) in 1999, through a contact made at a fair in Europe. From then on business with the Arabs has gone from strength to strength. Today, Vipal supplies importers in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Sudan and Syria. “The products most sold on the Arab market are the line of repair kits, although the retreading line has been advancing significantly,” explained Paludo. According to the executive, on average, 30 per cent of production is exported.

The company already has offices in the United States, Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Spain, and hasn’t ruled out setting up an office in an Arab country.

The latest official figures show that exports from Brazil in the general “tyres” segment grew 41.4 per cent in January 2008.