Canton Fair, a pillar for global trade, local suppliers

John Leal, founder and CEO of ODM Pacific Ltd, was looking for industrial machines during the 137th China Import and Export Fair that can improve production efficiency for factories in Brazil.

Leal is a regular visitor to the global trade event, popularly known as the Canton Fair. He sees the biannual event, which showcases virtually the entirety of industrial and consumer good categories, as one of the best platforms for global trading.

"I have been visiting more than 10 sessions of the fair — so I have seen a lot of buyers coming here to get new ideas to start new businesses," said Leal, with several badges of the fair hanging around his neck.

"I get one badge coming here each session. I collect them with pride because my life is built around the foreign trade business with Chinese suppliers," he said. The Brazilian businessman also looked for innovative home and furniture products during the fair that are expected to be hot items sold to the overseas market.

"As people's houses are getting more and more expensive worldwide, we are looking for innovative products like home appliances and furniture that can help save space," he said.

Leal meets with his Chinese suppliers every six months. He said the fair allows him to stay connected with his suppliers, adding "it's a great place to continue my business".

Additionally, Leal supported other overseas buyers in selecting products during the fair — not only checking the credibility of suppliers, but also evaluating technical details of the products.

"Because very often the buyers are not in engineering, they don't know how to assess the quality of those products — so I try to help them select the best Chinese suppliers and do some modifications to make their products more suitable for markets overseas," he said.

Leal's company expects to bring innovative products selected during the fair to Brazilian and worldwide customers.

"Actually the current trade war is also a great opportunity for many buyers worldwide. If people can adapt and find a new market, it can be good for both sides like buyers from Brazil and Chinese exporters," he said.

The current turbulence in global trade means that there will be more products available and more latitude to negotiate with Chinese supplier prices, according to Leal.

Chinese factories are less busy with orders, so buyers from new markets have room to negotiate better prices, and the factories have the opportunity to expand their products to new markets such as South America, he said.

"We need to act fast and take advantage of the current uncertain global trade situation," Leal said. "We have noticed a big increase in demand of industrial machines in Brazil, from last year to this year, because local businesses have been trying to find alternatives to increase margins."