Brasilit to increase production of tiles
Valor Econômico
The investments of R$ 160 million (US$ 100 million) announced yesterday by Brasilit will cause the productive capacity of the company to grow 40% by 2016. The company - which belongs to the construction arm of the French Saint-Gobain - will invest the funds in the construction of two new plants and in the enlargement of the current units. "We believe the focus of the growth of the construction sector is in the low-income homes. The market will increase due to the posture of the Government to reduce the housing deficit", said the General Director of Brasilit, Roberto Luiz Correa.
Nearly R$ 37 million (US$ 23.1 million) will be intended for a new unit, with a production line of corrugated tiles that should go into operation in the second half of 2013. The work shall start in 2012 and its location is still being studied by the company: the facility can be erected in Rio de Janeiro or in Minas Gerais. The company is also investing R$ 18 million (US$ 11.3 million) in the construction of the second line of corrugated tiles in Recife (PE). The plant of Capivari (SP), on its turn, will receive R$ 30 million (US$ 18.8 million) in investments aimed at the modernization and productive expansion. Today, the company has five plants - in São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Pará and Pernambuco. To cater to the market of the North of the country, Brasilit plans to build another unit in the region.
The corrugated tiles are used on the roofs of houses, mainly in the low-income segment. They are made of fiber cement, a mixture that aggregates some components, among which, reinforcing fibers, to cement. The reinforcing fibers of Saint Gobain are made from synthetic yarn, replacing asbestos. The company has three families of products: corrugated tiles (coverage), flat plates (lateral closings of construction) and structural profiles (coverage). One of its main rivals is Eternit, leader in the manufacture of asbestos cement shingles. According to Correa, the R$ 160 million (US$ 100 million) in investments will come from own resources. "Eventually, the company can analyze credit lines", he added.