Majority of stone exporters recorded growth in September this year

Reaction was pointed out by most companies in a consultation held between the 5th and 11th of this month to understand the consequences of the pandemic in the ornamental stone sector.

The Brazilian Center for Dimension Stone Exporters (Centrorochas) and the Union of Dimension Stone, Lime and Limestone Industries of the State of Espírito Santo (Sindirochas) carried out a consultation with companies in the sector of dimension stones in Espírito Santo, the largest producing State and country’s exporter. With a focus on understanding the reflexes up to September and visualizing expectations for October, the survey found that among companies that operate at the same time in the domestic and foreign markets, 85% indicated growth in the international market in September compared to the same month last year. , and 56% indicated the same performance when analyzing the domestic market.

There was also an indication of stability for 33% (domestic market) and 15% (external market). The survey is part of a series that has been carried out by the two entities since the beginning of the global health crisis to outline an overview of the segment. The consultation pointed out that, among all the participants that operate in the domestic market, including those that operate in both markets, 68% presented expectations of growth for October of this year in relation to last October and, among those that operate in the foreign market, the expectation is growth, on the same basis of comparison, for 72% of them.

The survey also pointed out that 64% of companies no longer feel the impacts initially brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the majority pointing to overcoming the imbalance brought about by the pandemic, some impact records remained, such as customers negotiating extension of terms (12%), an increase in customer defaults (10%) and the need to renegotiate financing (6%).

The recovery felt by most companies is reflected in the staff, 40% of the survey participants reported having made admissions in September. 41% of the companies also pointed out that they had hired people in recent months and already had more staff than before the start of the pandemic. In relation to October, 25% expect to hire this month.

Most participating companies understand that the positive scenario for the sector should continue in 2021, even if at a slower pace than that observed in recent months. The consultation took place via an electronic form published in the WhatsApp groups of the entities, between the 5th and 11th of this month. A total of 46 valid responses were received, of which 76% were medium-sized, 21% were small and micro-enterprises and 2% were large-sized companies. Among them, 59% operate in the domestic and foreign markets, 22% focus on the domestic market and 20% on the international market.

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