TROY – Automation Alley on Monday announced the initial results from their recent trade mission to Brazil are in, and have far exceeded expectations.

“While in Brazil, our participants and companies had the opportunity to meet with leading partners, suppliers and investors interested in Southeast Michigan products and services,” said Ken Rogers, executive director. “We were very pleased with the Gold Key matchmaking meetings arranged by the U.S. Department Commerce, which have led to continuing negotiations. We are confident that the participants have secured future

business for Southeast Michigan from these meetings. ”

While in Brazil, participating companies met with officials from the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association; attended welcome receptions hosted by the Honorable Thomas J. White, the U.S. Consular General of Sao Paulo and the Honorable Elizabeth Lee Martinez, the U.S. Consular General of Rio de Janeiro; tour of COSAN, a world-class bio-ethanol refinery that converts sugarcane into bio-fuel; and a presentation at Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, one of the world’s leading agricultural universities involved in bio-energy technologies.

Past trade missions have resulted in the creation of more than 200 jobs while generating $130 million in export sales, investment, and economic development for Southeast Michigan. It is expected that partnerships, contracts and sales from the Brazil trade mission will add to Automation Alley’s trade mission successes.

Participating companies on the Brazil trade mission included:

3-Dimensional Services Group (Rochester Hills)

Applied Manufacturing Technologies, Inc. (Orion Township)

Cinetic Automation (Farmington Hills)

Clean Emission Fluids, Inc. (Grosse Pointe)

Detroit Stoker Company (Monroe)

Metalworking Lubricants (Pontiac)

Promess, Inc. (Brighton)

In addition, representatives from Macomb County, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Oakland Schools, and Oakland University were in attendance.

“Macomb County joined the trade mission to Brazil to explore the potential market for our companies,” said Stephen Cassin, director of planning and economic development for Macomb County. “We have found that the potential for business growth is strong in Brazil, particularly for

those companies involved in alternative energy.”

The trade mission was sponsored by Miller Canfield, NextEnergy, AMCHAM Brasil and the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Services.

Future trade missions include Russia in May 2009 and India in October 2009. For more information, please contact the Automation Alley Resource Center at (800) 427-5100. Tell them you heard about it at MITechNews.Com.

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