01/13/2014 16h50

Comil inaugurates new plant in Lorena

With the support from Investe São Paulo, the new unit will be responsible for the production of urban buses

Investe SP
Armando Júnior/Investe SP
The president of Investe SP highlighted the impact of the new factory on the local development

The bus manufacturer Comil inaugurated this Saturday, December 14th, a new industrial unit in the city of Lorena, located 190 km from the state capital. The ceremony was attended by the governor Geraldo Alckmin, the chairman of the Board of Directors of Comil, Deoclécio Corradi, the mayor Fabio Marcondes, the president of Investe São Paulo, Luciano Almeida, as well as local authorities, suppliers and clients.

The new plant is sized to produce 10 units of urban vehicles per shift and this level of production is expected to be achieved in the second half of 2014. “This plant has a strategic importance and therefore we have focused our efforts to comply with extremely streamlined schedules,” said the CEO of Comil, Silvio Calegaro.

Investe São Paulo – São Paulo’s Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Competitiveness – has assisted the company to obtain an adequate infrastructure to the plant and support for tax and environmental demands. According to the president of Investe SP, Lorena will experience a new cycle of economic development. “It’s been many years since the city received such major investment. The new plant will generate 1,500 direct and indirect jobs that will benefit the entire population of the region,” said Almeida.

The unit located in Lorena was designed to produce urban vehicles with high quality, equipped with innovative manufacturing system, which defines it as the most modern plant in Latin America for the production of buses. “The characteristics of this make it fully able to meet the growing demand for buses by 2016, driven by major events such as the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics, which are already demanding improvements in the transportation of people in the big cities,” said the CEO of Comil.

Established on an area covering 210 thousand square meters in Vale do Paraíba, bordering Presidente Dutra highway, the new plant required an investment of R$ 110 million and will generate 500 direct jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs. The unit will produce the urban models Svelto and Midi, currently assembled at the headquarters of Comil in Erechim. The number 1 bus will come out from the assembly line in early January.

The qualification of the local workforce was held by Comil in partnership with Senai in Lorena, offering courses for the preparation of new employees, allowing their professional development.

With the new operation, Comil will increase its production capacity over 100% in the segment of urban bus. “The support from Investe SP, a State Government agency, was crucial for us to choose Lorena. And the city also chose us, doing a great job so that we could settle in the city,” said Calegaro.

The lines of road vehicles and more complex urban vehicles (BRTs, for example) will continue to be produced in Erechim. The industrial park of the city will invest in the increased production of road cars, guiding its workforce to focus on this
market segment.

About Comil
Comil is one of the main manufacturers of buses in Brazil. Headquartered in Erechim (RS), it produces road, intercity and urban models, minibuses and special buses that travel throughout Brazil and in more than 30 countries. In 2013, the company will record a net revenue exceeding R$ 500 million.

The company is constantly working with new processes and technologies and develops specific models according to the market needs. It employs approximately 2800 people in Erechim and has as one of its principles the recognition of its employees, always focusing on health and safety. The company offers several programs that support the growth and learning of employees and has a multidisciplinary team of professionals motivated to seek new challenges.

Bus models produced:

Road: Campione DD, Campione HD 4.05, Campione 3.65, Campione 3.45 MD, Campione 3.45 MT, Campione 3.25 and Versátile;

Urban: Svelto, Svelto Midi and Doppio BRT;

Micro: Piá Urbano (Urban) and Piá Rodoviário (Road);

Special: Piá Saúde (Health), Piá Urbano Escolar (Urban-School), among others.