Nadir Figueiredo invests US$ 45.7 mi in plant and warehouses
Valor Econômico 09/13/10
One of the most traditional companies in Brazil in the area of packaging, Nadir Figueiredo will invest R$ 79.6 million (US$ 45.5 million) in the plant of Suzano (SP), in the first major outlay of the group since the improvement of unit acquired in September 2008. The resources will be invested in the erection of two warehouses, with 45 thousand square meters in total, and in the construction of a new furnace, the sixth of the company in operation.The decision was taken weeks ago by the direction of the company, chaired by Morvan Days de Figueiredo (son of one of the founders of the group) and, at the moment, the company is setting the details of the new project. Among such details under discussion now, is, for instance, the number of production lines to be catered by the furnace and the exact location of the construction of the equipment. "It is time we plan a larger structure", says Mauro Frederico Marquezano, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Nadir Figueiredo, the world's largest manufacturer of "copo Americano" a sort of shot glass developed by the company, that traditional shot glass used in bars and restaurants to drink coffee or beer. "With the furnace, we will increase the manufacture of the entire line and star producing new products, of greater added value, for classes with greater purchasing power. That because we believe we can launch more sophisticated items", says the Executive.
The fact Nadir Figueiredo is operating near its maximum load capacity - the use of the installed capacity is at 90% on average in the units of Suzano and São Paulo - led manufacturer to plan the investment. But it is something that will not have an immediate impact for the company. The furnace should be in operation within at least two years. As regards the warehouses, the first will be ready in November, and the second, in March. The new storage area, with 45 thousand square meters, should triple the current space available in the company. According to Marquezano, there is an explanation for the company to invest in larger spaces to store products - something that generates an increase in the fixed cost of companies. "We are an industry that required stocked products. The turnover is not as fast as that of companies of other sectors of the economy that have much more accelerated production cycles".
Nadir produces 162 thousand tons of glass in the two plants of the group, and the productive capacity in the four furnaces in operation in the unit of Vila Maria, North Side of São Paulo, is of nearly 400 tons of glass a day. In the only furnace of Suzano, the capacity is of 200 tons a day. From January to June, the net revenues of the company grew nearly 22%, according to the balance sheet of the manufacturer. The net income went from meager R$ 520 thousand (US$ 264 thousand) in the first half of 2009 to R$ 6.1 million (US$ 3.5 million) in the same period this year.
The numbers result from a recent work focused not only on scale gains of product with low added value, but mainly, on the greater demand for launchings with greater profit margins. The portfolio of Nadir features more than three thousand items, among glassware, tableware, jars and vases, among other products. The company has launched an averaged 40 new products every year. It reached such the mark, considered record for the company, in 2009. It is a demand essentially supported by the domestic market. This year, the company has nearly R$ 80 million (US$ 45.7 million) in its trade accounts receivable until June 30. In the foreign market, they are R$ 8.2 million (US$ 4.7 million) to receive from abroad.