After working with the Public Procurement Service offered through ProCórdoba Agency by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Mining, Inforest SRL has won a call launched by UNOPS Brazil. This triumph is the latest in a list of achievements attained during the pandemic.

Inforest SRL, based in Alta Gracia since 2001, manufactures firefighting and rescue equipment. Eighty percent of its products are for the forest fire market. The firm has a history in foreign trade. Its first export took place in 2004. Since 2009, it has worked with ProCórdoba Agency to boost their presence in the international market, and has participated in fairs and trade missions.

In 2013 it started working to enter the Humanitarian Assistance and Public Procurement segment. Miguel Ángel Pelaez is managing partner and Head of Foreign Trade at Inforest SRL. He said,

"It takes a lot of work and time for any results to emerge, but it can all lead to a newfound stability in the business world. You learn from all experiences. You become acquainted, for instance, with which countries are more prepared. That is why we work with ProCórdoba, to find new market niches and get information and support. We also provide feedback, so that our experience can benefit other companies that seek to penetrate the market."

It was thus that the firm won a call launched, by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Brazil, for the procurement of fire-fighting apparel. The products will be destined to Brasília's National Park. In addition, UNOPS requested to expand the contract, which represented a 20 percent increase in the sale for the firm.

At the beginning of the year the company had sold portable fire pumps and accessories for forest fire brigades to the La Amistad Conservation Area (ACLAP). The procurement was conducted through the United Nations Development Program in Costa Rica.

Besides, this year it has won two other calls for tenders opened in response to the Covid-19 health crisis, one of them managed by UNOPS Argentina. In this case, too, the contract was expanded and the company saw a 20 percent rise in their sale. Finally, the company was selected to become a party to a Framework Agreement with the Province of Mendoza, which has opened a number of business opportunities.

Pelaez referred to the present context and said,

"The domestic market usually accounts for 70 percent of our total sales, whereas the foreign market represents 30 percent. Our goal has always been to reach a 50-50 distribution. From the beginning, we set out to be an exporting firm and cover a 7 billion people market, as opposed to settling for 40 million. In the last 6 months - during the pandemic-related crisis - the foreign trade market has taken a turn and gained momentum."

He continued,

"Our main clients are States, both in Argentina and abroad, which is why we depend on their budgets to a great deal. The economy in Argentina is depressed, so the State would not have the funds it had set apart for equipment. This considered, we are proud of the decisions we have made, which have put us in a better position than the one we would have been in if we had only focused on the domestic market."

ProCórdoba congratulates Inforest on its success!