Replacement sector sells US$ 5.7 billion
Valor Econômico
Pushed by the growth of the national vehicle fleet, for the mandatory vehicle inspections in the city of São Paulo and increasing driver awareness of the benefits of automotive maintenance, the independent sector of auto parts replacement earned about 10% in the country in 2010, more than in the previous year. Together, the manufacturers of automotive components that operate in this segment and are associated to Sindipeças recorded sales of R$ 10 billion (US$ 5.7 billion) - the total earnings in the Brazilian auto parts industry must have reached R$ 80 billion (US$ 45.5 billion) in the same period. In comparison with 2008, the year that the industry had not been so affected yet by the economic crisis, the expansion is also significant, between 7% and 8%.
This pace of growth could be repeated in 2011, in the assessing of the vice president of Sindipeças and adviser of the entity for the aftermarket, Antonio Carlos Bento. "We should record an increase of at least 5%, since the Brazilian fleet should grow by 7% and the vehicle inspection remains in force", he explains. The weight of the mandatory inspection in the city of São Paulo for the business of independent replacement is due to the size of São Paulo fleet. In 2009, the nearly 30 million of vehicles in circulation, 22% were on the streets of the city of São Paulo. "In addition to inspection, programs such as Car 100% (of the entity) are creating a culture related to automotive maintenance, which ends up generating new business."
A survey elaborated by GIPA, an international consulting firm specialized in the area of post-sale, at the request of the Automotive Maintenance Group (AMG), which is linked to Sindipeças and coordinated by Bento, shows that Brazilians are increasingly more concerned with the conservation of the car. In 2009, 80% of car owners with up to one year of use do some type of preventive maintenance. In 2005, this percentage was 66%. The increased demand for these services, however, may lead to the emergence of bottlenecks in the area of repairing. According to Bento, there is a shortage of qualified manpower in Brazilian garages and unless there is investment in the very short term, there may be a "blackout" in the segment.