Mercedes-Benz invests US$ 833 million to increase capacity
DCI
Mercedes-Benz do Brasil will invest R$ 1.5 billion (US$ 833.3 million) until 2012 to increase its productive capacity in São Bernardo do Campo (SP) by 15%. The company signed a R$ 1.2 billion (US$ 666.7 million) loan with the BNDES (National Development Bank) last Friday: "The funds are already available: R$ 1.2 billion (US$ 666.7 million) related to an investment for the increase of the manufacturing capacity - which will increase the production to 75 thousand heavy vehicles [buses and trucks], with 1,400 new jobs in São Bernardo - whose positive side is the development of new engines", announced the President of the BNDES, Luciano Coutinho, at the Bank's headquarters in São Paulo. The Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Miguel Jorge, commented the availability of funds: "The BNDES already has the money for that. Last year there was R$ 100 billion (US$ 50.8 billion) in loans and we should exceed such mark this year", he said, referring to the volume of the budget. The Minister detailed the application of the investments of Mercedes-Benz in Brazil: "60% of the R$ 1.2 billion (US$ 666.7 million) loan will be used in the increase of the capacity, 30% for the development of new engines - including those running on biodiesel - engineering and technology, and another 10% for the social and environmental sectors".
The CEO of the Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, Jürgen Ziegler, pointed out the Brazilian subsidiary is the most important one outside Germany: "We are leaders here, with nearly 50% of market share in the segment. The loan helps up keep our investments over the next 3 years". The Vice President of Institutional Relations of Mercedes-Benz, Jackson Schneider, explained the conditions of the loan: "They are the normal financing conditions of the BNDES, and we have already met one of the commitments, the hiring of 1,400 new employees, 400 of which are engineers in the technical area and that will work in research and development". Ziegler completed: "Since we came to Brazil, it was the first time we managed to get a loan from the BNDES, because at the time, in another institution, the deadlines for repayment would be longer". Ziegler explained the export plans to the DCI: "In 2010, we will export 4 thousand trucks and 12 thousand buses, mainly to Latin America, and, with the increase in the production, in the coming years our expectation is to export from 18 to 20 thousand vehicles". Ziegler also talked about the current capacity: "We are operating at 95% of our installed capacity producing 65 thousand vehicles; with the investments, our forecast is to produce 68 thousand vehicles until the end of the year, whereas last year we sold 51.5 thousand vehicles".