Sale of implements for road transport grows 29% in 2007
Valor Econômico - 02/19/2008
The Brazilian industry of implements for road transport ended 2007 with sales 29% higher, totaling 110.1 thousand units against 85.5 thousand in 2006, according to the data from Anfir, the entity that congregates the companies of the sector. Randon, Guerra, Facchini, and Noma are responsible for up to 80% of the production of this market. Regarding the general sales, the sales amounted to nearly R$ 2.5 billion (US$ 1.42 billion), which represents a 25% increase over the sales of 2006, which was R$ 2 billion (US$ 918.7 million). The sector, which produces trailers, semitrailers and bodies-on-frame, expects to grow from 10% to 12% in the number of implements sold this year, taking into account factors such as the high on the price of the raw-materials and interests. According to Anfir's president, Rafael Wolf Campos, the price of the equipment may be adjusted in up to 12% because of the increases in the prices of steel, aluminum, and salaries. Nevertheless, the projection of a less significant evolution in sales in 2008 is not related to the possible price adjustments. "In 2007, we grew over a base of sales which was not as sound as that from 2004", Campos justifies. Last year's growth of sales is 8% compared with 2004. "The market retreated in the two following years and gained strength again in 2007", he says. According to him, the use of the production capacity of this segment is near 100%. "The manufacturers are enlarging, but the effect is not immediate", declares Campos, explaining that the average lead time for a piece of equipment is currently 120 days, but normally is 60 days. Among the models of trailers and semi trailers with greatest growth in sales are: the canvas-covered (75.3%), the dump trucks (59.6%), the carbon-tanks (54.2%), the trucks for sugar-cane transportation (45.6%) and the trucks for grain transportation (42.8%). The average evolution was 38.6%.