Negotiations held during the Rio Oil & Gas exhibition were the best since 2004.Brazil’s National Oil Industry Organization superintendent says sector’s demand will be high in the next few years.

Business matchmaking organized by Brazil’s National Oil Industry Organization (Onip, in the Portuguese acronym) in a partnership with the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) during the Rio Oil & Gas exhibition, held between September 15th and 18th in Rio de Janeiro, indicates the demand for oil sector’s products and services will grow in the next few years.

The number of anchor companies which took part in the negotiations on Tuesday (16th) and Wednesday (17th) was larger than imagined and surpassed the expectation of the event's organizers, Onip superintendent Bruno Musso has told ANBA this Friday (19th).

Anchor companies are major producers which need products and services offered by small- and medium-sized companies. By legal requirements, companies in the oil producing chain must utilize equipment with a minimum percentage of local contents. The percentage may range from 37% in deep water exploration to 85% in land developments.

“More than just showing the sector’s current moment, the matchmaking held this year is a reflection of things to come. The companies will demand almost everything in the next few years,” said Musso. He noted, however, that the next edition of Rio Oil & Gas will be in 2016 and it is difficult to forecast today the development of the sector in the future.

The leading producers which participated in the matchmaking were seeking to meet the requirement of using products and services with local contents with the small and medium suppliers. “Anchor companies have the opportunity, during the matchmaking, to meet with Brazilian companies and (with their products) increase their local contents and reach suppliers which sometimes they hadn’t identified before or finding the best conditions, prices and delivery dates. For the suppliers, it is the opportunity to speak with medium and large companies,” said Musso. He said Onip and Sebrae try to put small suppliers in touch with large companies and foster Brazilian companies.

The matchmaking held in this edition of Rio Oil & Gas featured 828 meetings with 176 suppliers and 38 anchor companies. The estimate issued by anchor companies is to close deals worth up to R$ 164 million (roughly US$ 70 million at current exchange rates) over the next 12 months.

“It was the best matchmaking we have ever had. We did not expect such a number of anchor companies,” said Musso. At the previous edition of Rio Oil and Gas, held in 2012, 28 anchor companies attended the matchmaking. “We imagined it would be like in 2012, but the market proved to be booming,” he noted.