It is a rather tricky season. Sales are decreasing but in order to keep Mavi safely "afloat" a few measures have been taken. We kept our prices steady at the Brazilian Real level, so similar imported equipment probably is becoming a little more expensive. In the last 12 month the Real has lost  29.63% of its value. As Mavi kept its prices, a real advantage for customers which normally import.

The main outcome : an important climb in sales regarding our traditional drives. For the first time in Mavi´s history in a 5 month period time with a US-dollar based prices almost 30% lower, Mavi is reaching in this relatively short period sales 62% higher than our "good reference" year 2010, the best before. Quality and short time delivery is part of the effort as well as a fast on spot technical assistance all over Latin America for larger drives.

Another interesting aspect is a huge increase in spare parts sales. Mavi customers are now getting used to keep some basic parts ready. Due to continental dimensions, Brazil and other LatAm countries have many problems in getting the parts in a fast reliable way to the operating sites. Mining companies in Peru, sugar factories in Brazil and plastic producing facilities in Venezuela have made our spare parts sales double, alerted about production cutbacks if parts not readily available. An excellent marketing via Internet helped on that, urging customers to keep parts ready for fast replacement.

But complete machines are not easy to sell at this moment, even with cheaper prices and sometimes risky (for us suppliers) financing conditions. Our "good reference" 2010 is still 26% higher than today´s 2012. Summing it all up, Mavi is keeping its Brazilian Real prices unchanged since 2010 and with a strong marketing effort managed to keep the boat afloat.

And most important : no lay-offs or workforce cuts. Not one single! A complete crew is needed if good winds pick up again. Hoping to keep it this way.