German Hailo to produce wind tower ladder in the country
Valor Econômico
Pioneer in the world in the manufacture of aluminum ladders in industrial scale, the German Hailo gets ready to star in the Brazilian market, with an eye on the segment of domestic consumption and in the potential of businesses the sector of wind energy offers in the country. With an initial investment of R$ 2 million (US$ 1.18 million), the multinational will build its first manufacturing unit in the Americas in the Municipality of Jaguariúna, in interior of São Paulo, where it will initially produce ladders for wind towers. "Brazil will work as a platform for the supply of other Latin American markets, particularly Argentina, Chile and Uruguay", says the Managing Officer of the multinational for Brazil, Patrick Rosat.
As it occurred in the country, it was the need of equipment for the construction of wind energy parks that caught the attention of the German company to other Latin American markets. In Brazil, the estimate of the multinational is that one thousand wind towers are sold every year. At first, says Rosat, the plant of Jaguariúna, whose start-up is scheduled for the second half, will produce 500 ladders for towers a year. In the second year, the capacity can be doubled, according to the demand in the domestic market. In such phase, Hailo shall begin looking at contracts abroad Brazil.
The first customer of the German company in the country is GE, with which it signed a contract for the supply of ladders and fall arrest systems for 270 towers. This first sale was closed through a partnership with the Spanish group Gestamp, which already has a local plant of wind towers. "We will be the first to have one ladder unit in the country, which may be an advantage against other suppliers", says Rosat. In the Jaguariúna unit, Hailo will work with aluminum profiles, so that the ladders will just be assembled. In Germany, for example, the company buys the aluminum from plants and turns the input into ladders. According to the Director, up to 20 direct jobs and nearly 100 indirect ones will be generated from the implementation of the plant.
Besides the bet in the segment of wind energy, Hailo sees potential of new businesses in the area of ladders for industrial purposes. Works of the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) and related to the holding of the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup in the country should generate orders to the multinational. "Later on, we may produce other kinds of ladders in Brazil", says Rosat. Until the decision is taken, the company will import household ladders produced in France, which will be sold in the Brazilian home centers.
In 2010, says the officer, the multinational had earnings of € 100 million - the company does not disclose the estimates of income in Brazil. Between 60% and 70% of the global sales resulted from household ladders. Founded in 1947, it is one of the leading suppliers of stainless steel ladders and baskets for Leroy Merlin in France. Since the beginning of its operations, is has already produced more than 30 million of waste baskets and more than 20 million ladders. The company has plants in Germany, in the United States, in China, India and France.