Liquigás invests to cater to aerosol sector
Valor Econômico
Believing in the growth of the demand for aerosol packaging, Liquigás plans increasing its share in the market propellant gases in 2011. Those gases, which coexist with the liquids contained in the aerosol dispensers, have been the focus of the investments of the company. Last month, the distributor of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) concluded its industrial unit of purification of propellants. With investments of R$ 4 million (US$ 2.4 million), the project covered the development of the purified product, "Purogas", and the construction of an industrial area in the center of operations of Maua, in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. With an initial capacity for 20 thousand tons a year, the new plan can be expanded to nearly 50 thousand tons a year. Today, the participation of the company in the market of propellants is at 20%. In view of the investments, the company plans to get to 30% of market share still this year. "The market of propellants in Brazil is growing. There are foreign industries coming to the country to operate in the sector of aerosols. We want to take advantage of such interest", told Valor the Director of Bulk LPG of Liquigás, Thomaz Lucchini Coutinho. "We even believe the increase in the demand may cause us carry out an expansion on that unit", he added.
For the executive, the income and the change in patterns of consumption of the Brazilian population are the main factors driving the growth of the market of aerosol dispensers. Besides the medical needs, such as the application in asthmatic crises, the more practical packaging (of deodorants, for example) have achieved the consumer. In 2010, 702 million units of aerosol dispensers were consumed in the country, growth of nearly 30% compared to the 545 million consumed in 2009. In 2005, the level of consumption was at 282 million units, according to figures from the Brazilian Association of Aerosols and Domisanitary Disinfectants (Abas). The perspectives of the industry pointed to 1 billion units in 2012. Liquigás is not alone with respect to investments in propellants. Last week, Ultragaz launched the demex (dimethyl ether), a water-based gas produced in a plant built from a partnership with GPC Química.