Fras-le will be at the Automechanika Middle East 2009, from May 31 to June 02. Automechanika is the main event of the automotive industry in the Middle East and will provide extensive coverage of the sector at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

Present at the Fair for the fourth time, Fras-le will show part of its product line which comprises more than 9 thousand items including brake pads and linings for light and heavy vehicles, clutch facings, railway and subway brakes shoes and specialty products for application in machines, tractors, elevators and oil wells, in addition to products of the Lonaflex brand.

The Middle East has been an important destination of Brazilian products such as products in the automotive sector. In 2008, despite the world economic crisis, the Brazilian exports of automotive products for the Middle East increased by 14.15% (US$ 60.7 million) in the first half of the year alone. Fras-le, which has exported to the Middle East since the mid-1980s, exported 10% of its sales to that area last year, mostly brake linings for trucks, buses, trailers and semi-trailers.

In terms of import/export rates, Dubai is the third most important center of re-exports in the world after Hong-Kong and Singapore, thanks to its strategic location between Europe and the East, being an important logistic/ business hub in the area.

Fras-le – With 55 years in business, the company is strategically connected with the main segments of the automotive industry. Leader in the domestic aftermarket, the Company supplies its products to the main OEM companies in Brazil, especially in the heavy line. Fras-le also operates abroad, with exports to more than 80 countries. With plants in Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), China and in the United States, distribution centers in Argentina and Europe and commercial offices in the United States, Chile, Europe, Mexico, United Arab Emirates, Africa and China, Fras-le operates within the auto parts market under the brands Fras-le and Lonaflex. In the friction material segments, Fras-le is one of the leading companies worldwide. In 2008, the Company exported US$ 85.3 million, an increase of 10.9% as compared to 2007, when its exports reached US$ 76.9 million.