The Association’s first meeting with the Agency’s new president reinforced the longstanding institutional partnership and moved forward discussions on the Brazilian furniture industry’s internationalization strategy for the next two-year cycle
ABIMÓVEL (Brazilian Furniture Industry Association), held its first institutional meeting with Laudemir André Müller on Monday, June 15, 2026, following his appointment as president of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, ApexBrasil, in April. Held at the Agency’s headquarters in Brasília, the reunion was part of the 2027–2028 Strategic Planning Alignment process for the Brazilian Furniture Sector Project.
The meeting was opened with an institutional presentation of ABIMÓVEL, its leadership and the Brazilian Furniture Project to ApexBrasil’s new president. The Association welcomed Müller, wished the incoming administration success and underscored the importance of the partnership the two organizations have built over the years.
The agenda also reaffirmed both institutions’ commitment to strengthening coordination among Brazil’s furniture industry, ApexBrasil and the federal government. This cooperation is focused on enhancing competitiveness, supporting companies in their international expansion and increasing the Brazilian industry’s presence in global markets.
Participants included ApexBrasil President Laudemir André Müller; Maria Paula Velloso, who recently assumed the role of Business Director at the Agency; and International Business Specialist Maria Luisa Cravo Wittenberg. ABIMÓVEL was represented by its president, Irineu Munhoz, and executive director, Cândida Cervieri.
Brazilian Furniture 2027-2028
Following the institutional discussions, the meeting moved into the 2027–2028 Strategic Planning Alignment process for Brazilian Furniture. Companies participating in the project were also able to follow the discussions and contribute remotely through a virtual platform.
One of the main topics was the presentation of findings from the National and International Trade Show Mapping initiative, developed to support decisions on priority markets, business platforms and industry events for the project’s next cycle.
The meeting also included a review of previous initiatives and discussions on future activities involving trade promotion, market intelligence, international positioning and engagement with buyers and strategic partners.
ABIMÓVEL’s leadership emphasized that industry participation throughout the planning process is essential to ensure that the sector’s priorities, challenges and business interests are accurately reflected in the initiatives to be implemented over the next two years. By bringing companies of different sizes, regions and segments of the value chain into the discussion, the project can better align its activities with current market conditions and the international growth strategies of Brazilian businesses.
A New Cycle for the Brazilian Furniture Project
Brazilian Furniture operates across two complementary business segments: furniture manufacturers and suppliers to the furniture industry, including component, machinery, equipment and raw material companies, among others. The initiative currently brings together 185 companies, 120 of which are already exporters.
According to ApexBrasil President Laudemir André Müller, these figures reflect both the consistency of the work carried out through the project and the progress Brazilian furniture companies have made in international markets. “Brazilian design and furniture are gaining recognition worldwide, and the results achieved by Brazilian Furniture show that this visibility is also translating into stronger export capabilities,” Müller said. “The project now includes nearly 200 companies, demonstrating the importance of the joint efforts led by ApexBrasil and ABIMÓVEL to expand the industry’s international reach.”
ABIMÓVEL President Irineu Munhoz highlighted the continuity of the partnership and the project’s role in helping companies prepare for and gain access to international markets. “We are grateful for the support ApexBrasil has consistently provided to the industry, and we wish President Laudemir Müller every success in this new chapter,” Munhoz said. “Over the years, we have seen established companies grow and smaller businesses begin exporting and advancing through the project. We are now moving forward together into a new cycle, supported by planning, strategy and new opportunities.”
For 2027 and 2028, the project is expected to deepen its work through an integrated agenda encompassing industry, design, business development, sustainability and innovation. Priorities will include market diversification, increased competitiveness, new commercial and positioning opportunities across Brazil’s furniture value chain, and a stronger presence for Brand Brazil worldwide.
Institutional Meeting
Maria Luisa Cravo Wittenberg, International Business Specialist, Cândida Cervieri, Executive Director of ABIMÓVEL, Irineu Munhoz, President of ABIMÓVEL, Laudemir André Müller, President of ApexBrasil, and Maria Paula Velloso, Business Director of ApexBrasil.
Schedule Record
Gabriel Machado and Laudemir André Müller, President of ApexBrasil.
Institutional Representation
Cândida Cervieri, Executive Director of ABIMÓVEL, and Irineu Munhoz, President of ABIMÓVEL.
Brazilian Furniture Project
The Brazilian Furniture Project is an initiative by ABIMÓVEL in partnership with ApexBrasil, created to increase the participation of Brazil's furniture industry and production chain in the international market through a set of strategic actions built on the pillars of sustainability, competitiveness, and design integrated within the industry. Hundreds of companies are part of the project.
In the current cycle, the project's organizers are inviting not only furniture manufacturers and designers, but also component companies and industry suppliers to join Brazilian Furniture, further expanding the reach of Brazilian furniture and reinforcing the competitiveness of the Brazil brand worldwide.
To become part of the project and place your brand at the world's leading furniture industry events, visit:
brazilianfurniture.org.brAbout ABIMÓVEL
The Brazilian Furniture Industry Association (ABIMÓVEL) has spent nearly five decades supporting, developing, and strengthening Brazil's furniture production chain. The institution promotes and leads a positive agenda for the sector, benefiting more than 22,800 companies, which in 2025 generated more than R$ 92.1 billion in business and 287,200 direct jobs, within a production chain that indirectly employs around 1.1 million workers.
Throughout its trajectory, ABIMÓVEL has led a series of programs and actions focused on business, competitiveness, design, sustainability, technical standardization, innovation, and internationalization, promoting initiatives that expand the positioning of Brazilian furniture in both the domestic and global markets. Today, Brazil is the largest furniture producer in Latin America and the seventh largest in the world, a position that reflects the strategic relevance of a production chain that is diverse, capillarized, and closely aligned with market transformations.
abimovel.comAbout ApexBrasil
The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad and attract foreign investment to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. To achieve its goals, ApexBrasil carries out a variety of trade promotion initiatives aimed at boosting exports and enhancing the value of Brazilian products and services abroad, such as prospecting and trade missions, business matchmaking rounds, support for the participation of Brazilian companies in major international fairs, and visits by foreign buyers and opinion leaders to learn more about Brazil's productive structure, among other business platforms also designed to strengthen the Brazil brand.
The Agency also works in coordination with public and private stakeholders to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil, focusing on strategic sectors that contribute to the competitiveness of Brazilian companies and of the country as a whole.
apexbrasil.com.brFURNITURE: OUR BUSINESS!
Brazilian Furniture Industry Association – ABIMÓVEL
Press Office: press@abimovel.com | +55 14 99156-0238
