Grain and mining stimulate sale of road scales
DCI
Driven by the economic heating of the country, high rates of extraction of ores and the national agricultural production, the market of scales for trucks - used in the control of the entrance and leaving of products - foresees growth of up to 50% among large companies in the segment in 2011.
Taking advantage of the good moment, Toledo - one of the largest companies of the sector - intends to increase the volume of sales of road scales in 15% this year compared to 2010. Therefore, it launched a new product that has already been sold to Votorantim and Namisa, controlled by CSN. According to Danilo Andreotti, product analyst of Toledo, Votorantim acquired 12 25-meter scales in the first quarter with an average value of R$ 70 thousand (US$ 43.8 thousand) each. As regards Namisa, it closed the purchase of six 18-meter scales, at the price of R$ 60 thousand (US$ 37.5 thousand) each.
According to the analyst, the truck scales range from 34 to 200 tons. The most common scale is that for 100 tons, used in segments of the industry for the receipt and dispatch. "Everything a company receives or dispatches in materials should go through the weighing control. Among our main customers are Vale do Rio Doce, Usiminas and Gerdau", he said.
With 55 years since its foundation, Toledo is located in São Bernardo, in the region of ABC Paulista. The group exports to Latin America and has 23 branches in Brazil.
Another great player in the segment and one of the main competitors of Toledo is Filizola. Known for operating in the weighing sector, the company also has a retail division for industries with precision scales. With manufacturing yard in Campo Grande (MS), the company grew by 50% in volume of sales in the first quarter compared to the same period of 2010 and it estimates keeping the percentage until December. From 2009 to 2010, the company increased the sales by 30%. For Márcio Godoy, product director of Filizola, the 35% growth of the production in the quarter is due to the constant demand on the part of clients such as Petrobras, Vale, Walmart and Grupo Pão de Açúcar.
Headquartered in Canoas (RS), Saturno estimates a sales increase of nearly 30% in 2011. "In view of the alcohol and sugar industries and of the mining and steel market, we had to hire more people and invest in new equipment to increase the productive capacity", said Luis Jung, President of the group. Among the main buyers of Saturno are Vale, Bunge and Louis Dreyfus. Sought, Balanças Jundiaí, another representative of the sector, has not given an interview.