Carbono Química bets in own line
Valor Econômico
Carbono Química, second largest distributor hydrocarbons and solvents in the country, will increase the production of its own product line. Consolidated in the segment of distribution, the company is investing on research to increase its portfolio - currently 95% of its revenue is focused on the distribution, said Rodrigo Gabriel, Officer and one of the shareholders of the company. By means of the Carbono Engenharia Division, created two years ago, the company is betting on three lines of products that range from siccatives and catalysts for paints and polyurethanes (PU), mixed oxygenated solvents (intended for cleaning and paint industries) and oleochemicals, in which it has a partnership since September 2009 with Bracol, a company of the JBS group.
Last year, the company began developing dimeric acid - an input used for the production of polyamide (thermoplastic polymer) - in the laboratory of Carbono Engenharia, from vegetable oils, including soy. The commercial production began this year. In the traditional route of the polyamide, it is used palm oil, a byproduct of the production of paper. "We should increase the production of oleochemicals in partnership with JBS so as to enter the cosmetics area in the future", he said.
Founded in 1978, the company, with 100% national capital, does not rule out entering into partnerships to continue growing in the country. Nevertheless, Gabriel says there are no negotiations at this time. Headquartered in São Bernardo do Campo (in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo), the company has three distribution units: in Ribeirão Preto (SP), in Paranaguá (PR) and Vitoria (ES). In 2009, Carbono sold 73 thousand tons for the segments that produce paints and varnishes and manufacturers of glues, adhesives, resins, crop protection products, besides the sugar and alcohol sector. Compared to 2008, there was a growth of 4%. The expectation for this year is of strong recovery in the sales. The company projects earnings of nearly R$ 180 million (US$ 100 million) in 2010, compared to the R$ 148 million (US$ 75.1 million) of the previous year.
The company is held by the Gabriel family since 1989 and the command is in the hands of Vera Miraglia Gabriel, the mother of the Executive. "We are a family business and all of us work in the company", said Rodrigo Gabriel. For now, Carbono Química has no plans of making an IPO. "We did our homework, with good corporate governance practices, but we have no interest in moving into the capital market", he said. "We operate on a segment where everyone is known by the name of the entrepreneurs. In our case, we are the company of Mrs. Vera and that isn't bad".