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While many South Florida exporters have watched their sales decline due to shrinking international demand, exports at Enrique Collazo’s company are soaring. Collazo, the chief executive of A&B Pipe and Supply in Miami, says he’s seen a spike in exports this year even as his domestic sales have fallen.

“We usually do between $4 million to $6 million in exports each year and as the domestic market has contracted, we’ve been able to do more in international markets,” Collazo says.

A&B, a wholesaler that sells pipes, valves, fittings, tools and industrial supplies to a range of contractors in South Florida, northern Latin America and the Caribbean, has seen exports climb from between 15 and 19 percent of revenue in the past to about 37 percent this year.

Why the increase? With money for developing new projects and installing new equipment on hold, budgets have increased for repairs and maintainence of fire sprinkler systems, air conditioning, gas installation, water treatment plants and underground facilities that are A&B’s bread and butter.

“We haven’t been affected by the financing squeeze,” Collazo noted.

“We were fairly conservative during the boom times and today we have plenty of cash in the bank and unused lines of credit,” he added.

The company has very few customers who pre-pay shipments, and it relies on coverage from private insurers and guarantees from the U.S. Export-Import Bank to reduce export risks. “So far we’re holding up,” Collazo added. “But with this economy, we have to pedal a lot harder than before.”