TROY – Automation Alley is accepting applications for

its upcoming trade mission to Brazil. The trade mission, scheduled for

October 18-25, will visit Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

“As the world’s fifth most populous nation, Brazil continues to fuel

strong demand for American-made products, services, and technologies,” said

Noel Nevshehir, director of international business services. “Brazil is

Latin America’s largest market and we’re eager to take Southeast Michigan

companies there to promote their products to this newly emerging market.”

Targeted industries on the upcoming mission include alternative and

renewable energy technologies; automotive components and systems;

environmental and pollution control technologies, institutions of higher

learning; IT and software applications; industrial machinery and machine

tools; and medical devices and diagnostic equipment.

“We secured more than $7 million in new business and created 27 local

jobs as a result of recent Automation Alley trade missions to China,

Central Europe, and India,” said Dan Kocks, CEO of Enterprise Automotive

Systems. “The professionalism and conscientiousness of Alley staff, along

with their ability to arrange meetings with the right companies, was

instrumental to our success.”

Southeast Michigan companies interested in attending the trade mission

must be export-ready and conduct business in one of the industries

previously noted. All Automation Alley trade missions include the U.S.

Department of Commerce’s Gold Key Service, which provides pre-screened,

pre-qualified meetings based on a company’s goals and objectives.

Automation Alley and U.S. Department of Commerce staff works closely to

provide assistance to trade mission participants before, during and after

the mission. Sponsored by Miller Canfield and NextEnergy, the cost to

attend is $5,995 per person and includes airfare, hotel, ground

transportation, matchmaking meetings and other travel-related expenses.

Past trade missions have or will soon result in the creation of more

than 200 jobs while generating $130 million in export sales, investment,

and economic development for Automation Alley member companies and

Southeast Michigan as a whole. In addition, the organization was recently

awarded the Presidential “E” Award for Exporting, the highest honor the

federal government can give to an American exporting company or

organization.

“Since we began our exporting initiatives in 2001, we have taken nearly

50 Southeast Michigan companies on trade missions around the world,” said

Ken Rogers, executive director. “From these international efforts, the

participating companies have had a tremendous impact on the region’s

economy — new partnerships, joint ventures, satellite offices and more. We

have witnessed the remarkable value of overseas exporting and will continue

to provide quality missions that benefit Southeast Michigan’s leading

technology organizations.”

For more information on the trade mission or to apply, email [email protected]

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