Glass industry invests US$ 222.9 million in plant
Folha de S. Paulo
The manufacturer of glasses and mirrors Cebrace, a joint venture between the Japanese group NSG/Pilkington and the French group Saint-Gobain, will invest € 170 million (nearly US$ 222.9 million) in the expansion of its plant in Jacareí, in the interior of São Paulo. "The city will become the biggest center for glass of the West", says Roberto Wertzner, Director of Cebrace. The unit, which will receive a new furnace, the fifth of the company, should begin operating until December 2011.
With a volume increase of 900 tons a day, the total capacity of the company shall increase to 3,600 tons a day, according to Wertzner. The investment is the biggest one received by Jacareí in the last ten years, according to city Mayor, Hamilton Ribeiro Mota. The municipal government will build an access to the road to facilitate the flow of products for the company, says the Mayor.
Cebrace currently ranks second in the collection of ICMS (State Sales and Services Tax) in the municipality, behind AmBev, which also has a plant in the region, according to Mota. "Cebrace currently represents 9% of the ICMS collection in the city. After the improvements, it may reach or even overcome the representativeness of AmBev, which is currently at 20%", says Mota.