In CHINT Group's journey to expand into overseas markets and serve global customers, Latin America stands out as a unique and distant region. Brazil, as the largest market in Latin America and a member of the BRICS nations, plays a crucial role.

Through hard work and perseverance, CHINT has earned the trust of leading clients, achieving both performance growth and increased brand recognition. By establishing a strong local presence, CHINT has supported the development of Brazil's power and energy sector with "Made in China" products. Over the past 23 years, the Brazilian team has tailored its approach to meet market and customer needs, deepening its "localization" strategy. They have consistently applied the principle of "Customer-Oriented" throughout the entire pipeline across customer development, cooperation, and service, crafting a unique story of CHINT's overseas success.

Join us to hear the stories of CHINT's Latin America and Brazil teams, and witness those unforgettable historic moments.

From Rejection to Open Collaboration

In the 1990s, as China's economy took off, trade and economic cooperation between China and Brazil grew increasingly close. In 1998, CHINT began its venture into Brazil, embarking on a path of exploration and development.

At that time, Western brands had already established a strong presence in the local market, while CHINT was just starting its international journey and still lagged behind major international electrical companies in terms of products and solutions. Additionally, significant currency fluctuations, high trade barriers, strong local manufacturers, and Brazil's stringent NBR standards created considerable challenges and raised the threshold to market entry.

Xiang Jie, General Manager of CHINT's Latin America regional business headquarters, recalls that despite the challenges, CHINT managed to establish partnerships with major clients such as Brazil's largest generator manufacturer, STEMAC, and the key player, STECK, through relentless effort.

"The procurement manager at STEMAC once said something that deeply moved us: 'Over 20 years ago, when CHINT first knocked on our door, I was hesitant to trust Chinese brands and never considered using Chinese products. But now, not only do I use your products, but I'm also willing to recommend CHINT to more of my colleagues and friends.'"

In Brazil, leading clients like STEMAC never lack suppliers. To win STEMAC's business, CHINT staff made regular visits, engaged in deep conversations to address existing issues, and gradually transformed from strangers to friends. Starting with samples, it took CHINT three painstaking years for STEMAC to finally extend its "door to cooperation".

This small story is just one example of the persistence shown by the Brazilian team in establishing partnerships with top-tier clients.

The successful development of several key clients laid a solid foundation for future "localization" efforts. In 2010, CHINT established its first subsidiary in Latin America, the Brazil subsidiary, marking the beginning of its transition from a trading company to a localized enterprise. Since then, CHINT has continued to make significant progress in the Brazilian market, forming stable partnerships with industry leaders such as TRAMONTINA and Siemens.

In 2019, Brazil reached a significant sales milestone as an individual overseas market, which became one of CHINT Global's key achievements.

Dedicated to providing high-reliability products in the power and new energy sectors, CHINT has always aimed for mutual growth with its customers. Since 2020, the pandemic has severely impacted Brazil's economy and livelihoods. Staying true to its customer-oriented philosophy, CHINT has stood by its clients, understanding their challenges and providing as much support as possible, weathering the storm together.

From "What CHINT Offers" to "What the Customer Needs"

"In the past, our discussions with clients were mostly about what CHINT has to offer," said Dan Hao, CHINT's Brazil Country Manager. "However, as we got to know the market better, we started focusing more on what our customers truly need and their pain points. By understanding their development plans and challenges, we can offer tailored product solutions, leading to mutually beneficial partnerships."

He shared an example: TSEA, one of Brazil's largest transformer manufacturers, is also a highly active EPC company in the Brazilian transmission and distribution market. Based on TSEA's market position and development strategy, CHINT proactively identified and addressed their needs. They first established a strategic partnership in the GIS/HGIS sector, which not only resolved TSEA's limitations of offering only transformers in EPC project bids but also strengthened CHINT's influence in the Brazilian market through the CHINT/TSEA alliance.

Beyond understanding customer needs, CHINT's years of experience and comprehensive strengths in management systems, full industry chain, manufacturing capabilities, and distribution networks have been crucial in enhancing service capabilities and gaining brand recognition.

"As a private enterprise, CHINT is flexible, highly sensitive to market changes, and responds quickly. We can adopt different strategies for different customers and provide solutions in the shortest possible time," said Xiang Jie. For example, during our partnership with TRAMONTINA, a well-known century-old Brazilian brand, we formed a specialized team with both Chinese and international members. This team was dedicated to responding to customer feedback within 24 hours and resolving issues promptly.

TRAMONTINA Delegation Visits CHINT

With over 20 years of experience in the Brazilian market, CHINT has developed the resources needed for every stage, from power equipment and solution integration to EPC and financing. Partnering with local companies helps CHINT streamline operations and resolve issues in actual projects.

CHINT's nationwide sales network and localized operations team in Brazil enable a better understanding of customer needs and allow for more personalized services. "Brazil is vast, with significant cultural differences and varying resources in each state. Business types also vary greatly. This approach helps us improve our market response speed," explained Xiang Jie.

From channels and team building to operations, CHINT's Brazil subsidiary consistently follows a "localization" strategy.

Our Brazilian Customers, Our Family

CHINT's business in Brazil covers low-voltage channels and industries, power transmission and distribution equipment, and photovoltaic new energy sectors. As one of the first Chinese private enterprises to enter Brazil, CHINT has continually supported Brazil's development through concrete actions, strengthening its friendly and cooperative relationships.

In 2017, a delegation led by Robinson Faria, the Governor of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, visited CHINT in China. The visit focused on strengthening communication and mutual trust, advancing strategic cooperation in the new energy sector, and promoting local investment and construction. During the visit, they signed three strategic cooperation framework agreements.

In addition to partnering local companies to provide equipment and solutions for power projects across Brazil, CHINT has increasingly emphasized the importance of clean energy with the introduction of new models and businesses. "Commercial and industrial distributed photovoltaic systems have tremendous market potential in Brazil, and we aim to play a significant role in the local green energy transition," said Xiang Jie.

As early as 2017, CHINT signed a supply agreement with its Brazilian partners. In 2018, they provided 80MW of high-efficiency polycrystalline photovoltaic modules to their power stations, contributing to Brazil's energy reform and power development.

CHINT is currently involved in several commercial and industrial photovoltaic power projects in Brazil, including TELLES Group's 5MW + 2MW project. This project not only meets the client's self-consumption electricity needs but also generates income by feeding surplus power back into the grid. Launched in September 2020, the project spans 6 hectares and includes 16,000 solar panels supplied by CHINT. CHINT managed all aspects independently, from initial development to design, procurement, construction, grid connection, and ongoing operation and maintenance.

In response to the sudden pandemic and the complex international landscape, CHINT will continue to adapt and implement its localization strategy. Moving forward, the company plans to establish offices and regional warehouse logistics centers in Brazil's four major regions, leveraging its Brazilian subsidiary. By bringing R&D and production closer to the market, CHINT aims to achieve localized manufacturing and participate in large-scale power infrastructure projects in Brazil. With renewed enthusiasm, CHINT is committed to contributing to Brazil's power development.

"In terms of localization, we hope to establish strong roots in Brazil, get closer to the market, and create more value for our customers," Xiang Jie concluded. He quoted Ying Lirong, CHINT's Regional Sales Manager in Brazil: "We see our customers as family and grow together with them. From initially being skeptical of 'Made in China' products to now actively recommending CHINT-branded products and services, many people and experiences have deeply moved and inspired us."