Truckvan doubles production with new plant
Valor Econômico
The fall of the economic activity in late 2008 and early 2009, which many call the crisis, in Truckvan is given another name. That period of cooling down in the businesses allowed the manufacturer of aluminum bodies for trucks that worked at full steam in mid-2008 to unite its operations - then divided into three buildings - into one single address and increase the productive capacity by 50%. When it finished moving in early 2009, there was a significant fall in the orders, but this "crisis" in the demand was sufficient time to make the adjustments required in the machinery in the new building and resume the production without risks of delays. Now, with the economy heated again, the company already has plans to double the current productive capacity.
In 2008 the company produced 200 body kits a month and was using 100% of its capacity. In the new plant, in the North side of the capital of São Paulo, the capacity was increased to 300 kits. When it started operating in the new address, the sales fell to something around 120 kits. "It was only at the end of 2009 that we went back to the 200 monthly kits. But that fall was good because we had time to adjust the production and prevent problems with customers", says Alcides Braga, shareholder and officer of the company. Despite a bad beginning this year, the earnings of the company in 2009 were equal to 2008's, at nearly R$ 20 million (US$ 10.2 million). The forecast is to get to R$ 25 million (US$ 13.9 million) this year.
The plan now is to build a new plant with monthly capacity for 500 to 600 kits. At the moment, the company is negotiating an area of 5 thousand square meters in the municipality of Guarulhos, in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, near its current plant. The new unit will be responsible for the manufacture of kits. The piece of land in which they are currently installed, of 12 thousand square meters, is intended solely for the putting up of bodies. The investment that is being made by an engineering company hired by Truckvan only in the development of machinery amounts to R$ 2 million (US$ 1.1 million), with 80% of the funds from the BNDES (National Development Bank).
Braga estimates it will reach 300 monthly kits until the end of this year and he expects to begin 2011 with the new unit already in operation. With that, he opens room to increase the segment of assembly of bodies for cargo and for special units. The company divides its businesses into three areas: manufacture of the kits, mounting of cargo bodies and mounting of special units (designed, for instance, for the mobile schools of the Senai (Brazilian National Service of Industrial Learning) or hospital ambulances). From the total kits produced today, 50% are sold to the 15 representatives that put up bodies in their regions and the other half is put up by the very Truckvan.
In terms of earnings, the kits are responsible for only 25% of the earnings, whereas the mounting of cargo generates 40%. The special units, regardless of representing a much lesser volume, have greater final value and already represent 35% of the earnings. With more space for mounting, Braga will increase, even more, the participation of mounting in the final result of the company. "Today I have room for 10 mountings at the same time. With the transfer of the production of kits to the new plant, I will be able to assemble up to 50 bodies at the same time". With the new unit, the number of employees should go from the current 150 to 200.