Sales grow 19% and ABPO raises projection in the year
Valor Econômico
Due to the better-than-expected performance in the sales of corrugated board the first two months, with a break of record for the month of February, the industry reviewed upward the growth projection in 2010, from the prior 6% to up to 8%, which should guarantee the biggest annual volume ever sold by the sector. Regardless of the remarkable pace at this beginning of year, the manufacturers of cardboard have faced strong cost pressure, due to the successive adjustments in the price of cellulose, the main raw material of the sector, and for such reason they started a movement of correction in the prices of the product.
According to the President of the Brazilian Association of Corrugated Board (ABPO), Ricardo Lacombe Trombini, the sales in 2010 should keep up with the pace of the growth of the processing industry, thus overcoming the growth projected for the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). "Before we worked with the expectation of growth in line with the GDP. Now, we see the expansion should be closer to that of the processing industry, especially that experienced by the sectors of foods and hygiene and cleaning", he says. Should the forecast of an increase of up to 8%, the sales will stay above the 2,273,948 tons of 2008, so far the record of the sector.
According to preliminary data of the ABPO 189.3 thousand tons of corrugated board were sold in February, an increase of 20% compared to the same period of 2009, and the greatest volume ever sold in the month. In the accumulated in the two months, the increase gets to 19.1%, with 379.9 thousand tons. "The pace surprised us", says Trombini. According to him, the monthly increase trajectory of pulp has led the industry to adjust by nearly 10% the prices of board as of this month. "If we do not take this kind of measure, the profitability will be greatly affected", he says.