Cebrace creates largest producer center of the Americas in Vale do Paraíba
Valor Econômico
The manufacturer of flat glass Cebrace, a joint-venture between the French group Saint Gobain and the Japanese NSG/Pilkington, invested € 60 million in the improvement and enlargement of the furnace of the plant located in Jacareí (SP). The new furnace that will be opened today had the capacity increased from 600 to 920 tons a day, becoming the biggest one in the Americas and one of most modern of the world, informs the marketing officer of the company, Roberto Wertzner.
The reconstruction of the C-1 furnace, main equipment used in the process of manufacturing of glass, is made every 12 years. With the enlargement, the Jacareí plant had its capacity increased to 1500 tons of glass a day. The works for the improvement of the furnace, according to Wertzner, were started in the month of March and involved nearly 2 thousand temporary workers.
Cebrace also operates units in Caçapava (SP) and Barra Velha (ES), each one with a daily production of 600 tons. The plants of Jacareí and Barra Velha are aimed at the sectors of civil construction and decorations and the unit of Caçapava aims at the car industry. The three units employ 850 employees.
The economic crisis, according to the director of Cebrace, has not prevented the company from going ahead with its plans of improvement and enlargement of the Jacareí furnace, since it was a necessary work, taking in account the end of the useful life of the equipment. The same cannot be said about the € 225 million investment Cebrace announced in the end of 2008, with the purpose of turning the Jacareí plant into the largest flat glass producing center of the world.
The goal of the company was to increase the capacity of the unit from 1,500 tons to 2,400 tons a day. "We decided to delay that investment for another year, until the demand of the market goes back to the level of the first half of 2008", he explained. According to Wertzner, the company registered a fall between 15% and 20% in the sales in the start of 2009 compared to the same period of last year. For this year, he foresees loses of nearly 10%.
Leader in the production of glass in Brazil, Cebrace also exports to South America, its main market abroad, Central America and Africa. The mix of products of the company includes flat glass, safety glass, mirrors, among other types.