6% increase of the GDP this year to take corrugated cardboard sales to set new record
Valor Econômico
The sales of corrugated cardboard may set a new record in 2010, in case the forecast of growth outlined by the Brazilian Association of Corrugated Cardboard (ABPO) is confirmed. According to the President of the entity, Ricardo Lacombe Trombini, the sales of the sector should keep up with pace of the growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and may grow up to 6% in the year. At Klabin, biggest Brazilian company in the segment, the improvement in the sales and the perspective that the growth will be maintained over the next few years already led to the resumption of studies on the future increase of capacity.
"The sales volume may be a record-breaking one, as the same may happen in other sectors should the country actually grow between 5% and 6%", says Trombini, who took over the Presidency of the ABPO on January 1, after Paulo Sérgio Peres left the office. Last year, the sales of corrugated cardboard amounted to 2.274 million tons, a fall of only 0.01% compared to 2008, when the volume sold by the sector was a historic high. The improvement after the second half of last year assured the recovery - in the accumulated until June the fall was of nearly 6% - and led the ABPO to review upwards its estimates, which were initially pointing to a fall of nearly 4% in the annual sales. "After August, the sales started presenting a surprising pace and we began seeing the possibility of the year ending stable". This way, by the end of 2009, the sector had sold 2,273,780 tons of corrugated cardboard, very near the record of 2008, when 2,273,948 tons were sold.
Even though seasonally weaker for the industry, the beginning of the year is being marked by an improvement in the occupation rates. Last year, the rate were between 85% and 90% points out Trombini. In these 20 days of 2010, the occupation ranges from 90% to 95%. The greater occupation of the lines, however, has still not reflected in the implementation of projects of increase of the capacity. According to the President of the ABPO, the pace of the resumption of the investments in the industry is still "shy".