ALL starts transport of sand in the State of SP
Valor Econômico
America Latina Logística (ALL) started looking at the moving of sand through railways as a business opportunity. Since 2007 the company made some transport of the product, but at the end of last year it closed a contract with the Sobase group, owner of Minermix Mineração and Concrebase, to carry 25 thousand tons of sand a month from the interior of São Paulo to the capital. Two other contracts are being negotiated with the Pedrasil and AB Areias companies, for the transportation of similar volumes.
With the new contracts, the company plans on transporting nearly the same volume it registered all over 2008 a month - 113,000 tons were carried in that year and, in 2009, 228 thousand tons. "The goal is 100 thousand tons a month", says Alonso Fernandes Bee, industrialized product unit manager of ALL, 75 thousand tons being guaranteed by the three contracts and the rest by the handling of spot cargo or new customers.
According to Bee, before buying Brasil Ferrovias - in May 2006 - ALL did not carry bulk sand for civil engineering and had "timidly" entered the segment, but now its "eyes went bright". With the expectation of the increase in consumption of sand due to a series of incentives to construction and works, the railway company plans on reaching more customers and opening new routes in the transportation of the product.
In order to serve Minermix, whose contract is five years long, renewable for the same period of time, R$ 2 million (US$ 1.08 million) will be invested, in partnership, for the reform of 41 wagons and improvement in permanent ways and locomotives. Other investments will be required after the signature of other contracts under negotiation. ALL will carry the sand at a station in Pirambóia (SP) and the cargo will follow nearly 200 km until the yard of Presidente Altino, in Jaguaré, in São Paulo. From there, it will be carried by truck to the new destination. According to the Manager, with transport by train the logistics cost reduces from 10% to 20%, depending on the length of the segment that will be used in road transport.
Edson Pechio one of the owners of Minermix, said the railroad station is near the mining company and the Sobase group wants to increase the use of the railroad in its businesses. "We are studying sending crushed stones by train to São Paulo as well", said the entrepreneur. According to Pechio, 100 trucks with sand were previously sent to São Paulo every day, a volume that now should fall nearly by half with the beginning of the use of the trains of ALL.