Corteco plans 12.5% expansion in 2011 and will launch 1.2 thousand products
DCI
With the expectation of growing 12.5% in the markets of sealing for auto parts in the South American continent in 2011, Corteco, a company of the multinational automotive Freudenberg-NOK, will launch 1.2 thousand products until the end of the year for utilities, cars, trucks, buses, agricultural machines, motorcycles and construction equipment. Driven by the rate of growth of 25% in 2010, the company will also increase the productive capacity of the plant of Diadema by 8%. Responsible for supplying the Southern Cone, the Brazilian subsidiary will also gain two new divisions.
According to the President of Freudenberg-NOK América do Sul, George Rugitsky, the increase registered in 2010 was decisive for the decision to expand the business, because the growth of the independent market of auto parts - the aftermarket - was 17% in the same year. "In the first quarter of 2011, we registered more than the expected percentage of growth", said the Executive who is also a Director of the National Association of Autoparts Manufacturers (Sindipeças).
According to the businessman, what stimulated the growth of the company was the investment in marketing in the chain of distributors and stores, since the demand for sealing products increases as automakers and imported vehicles get to Brazil. "In 2010, we offer new products to the four major manufacturers that operate in Brazil, but the amount we offered was enough to in view of the entrance of other brands in the country".
For Rugitsky, who profits from the intense entrance of cars and car makers is the automotive aftermarket because, according to him, the cars are taken to the dealerships in the first three years of use as a result of the warranty, but then they are taken to garages. The demand of sealing products outside the exclusive market of the automakers led to the creation of a separate unit for the aftermarket.
Other factors mentioned as leveraging and essential to the rise of the segment are the records of production of cars, the encouragement to the preventive maintenance of cars to prevent future costly repairs and the car inspection in São Paulo. "We have developed products for the lines of light and heavy vehicles with automatic transmissions which were in much lesser number five years ago", he added.