An atmosphere of good business for the domestic furniture industry prevailed during the 20th Movelsul Brasil.

The fair of furniture and accessories, considered the major in Latin America and held in Bento Gonçalves last week, attracted 29,011 trade visitors from 48 countries.

The presence of foreigners was, according to the president of the fair, Henrique Tecchio, the highlight of Movelsul Brasil 2016. "It was feared that the fair would be badly affected by our political and economic situation, but I believe that this year’s show was a watershed: not only because it is a historical fair, but also because it was successfully carried out during a period paved with adversities," he said.

The business potential shown at the fair surprised. In addition to the national shopkeepers, Movelsul Brasil had the largest Buyer’s Project in its history, featuring 780 business meetings between 120 Brazilian companies and 30 guest importers. Held since 2000 during the fair, the action supported by Apex-Brasil promotes the exports by organizing meetings at the booths, providing manufacturers the opportunity to show the competitive edges of their product line.

The new opportunities offered to the domestic furniture industry include Qatar, which increased by 61% their imports of Brazilian furniture last year. According to Al Jaidah Brothers CEO, Nabil Basma, who participated in the project for the first time, the residents of Qatar do not entirely trust the products manufactured in the Middle East, and the price of European furniture is quite high. "We are seeking a solution in Brazil to our customers, looking for items that can combine quality and competitive price. Currently all wardrobes found in Qatar are from Brazil," he says.

Another action developed by Movelsul Brasil attract domestic trade visitors was the Movelsul Motion project. For the first time the show funded the visit of 300 shopkeepers from Rio Grande do Sul, Parana and Santa Catarina in missions personally welcomed by the board of the fair. "We were aware of the movement of the market and we adapted to it. Obviously, the situation of the domestic market has a negative impact on the industry so we searched alternatives to balance this condition. Brazilian shopkeepers have a great relevance to our exhibitors, but the foreign market business presented wonderful opportunities," points out President Henrique Tecchio

Other projects

In addition to the Buyer’s Project, the 20th Movelsul Brasil featured the traditional Salão Design Award show and the unprecedented Senai Innovation Grand Prix. During the fair, Salão Design brought together exhibitors, sponsors and designers at the 20th Salão Design ceremony to award 26 entries. The awards included 15 cash prizes in the Student, Professional and Industry categories; one Alternative Woods Award; two Master Teacher awards and eight honorable mentions, totaling 26 award winners.

In 2016, the Salão Design Award had 750 entries - 12,588 along its history. The 21th  award competition will open registrations in October, 2016, but before that, this year’s winners will participate in another product exhibition  - in August, during High Design - Home & Office Expo, the anchor of DW! São Paulo Design Weekend in São Paulo.

The Senai Innovation Grand Prix awarded three ideas created during the fair to improve the processes used in the furniture industry: Cervical Wearable - a tape with sensors that monitors worker ergonomics; Jornada Segura (Safe Working Hours) - an electronic system that verifies workers’ identity and monitors their vital signs, to measure their health conditions; and Óculos 4.0 (Goggles) – a device with sensors to control the mandatory use of goggles in specific areas.

The project, held for the second time in Rio Grande do Sul, complies with the Integrated Product Development (DIP) methodology, resulting from a partnership between Senai, the Consorzio Politecnico Di Milano (Poli.Design, Italy) and the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA), supported by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, US). Firstly, three teams with seven members each presented 139 proposals to the industry. The proposals were filtered until the winners were chosen. As they met all the necessary requirements, the winning projects were classified in the Innovation Public Notice, available at plataforma.gpinovacao.senai.br where they can be adopted by companies at any time.

Movelsul Brasil 2016 was sponsored by Duratex, Renner Sayerlack and Banrisul. The next show will be held in 2018. For more information, visit www.movelsul.com.br.