Anuário da Indústria de Implementos Rodoviários 2020

26 T hey always say that life begins at 40. In ANFIR’s case, this is not true. After all, upon celebrating its first four decades in existence, on May 22, it celebrates, above all, the efforts by entrepreneurs and leaders accumulated not as of now, not even from its first day, but from an entire sector that arose well before it. Were it not for this long development and a lot of work, by so many pioneers, the sector would not be such a powerhouse, responsible for the production of thousands of implements with cutting-edge technology and processes. Were it not for them, there would not be ANFIR, now representing a universe quite different from that of May, 40 years ago, when leaders of the ten leading companies in the sector at the time met in Caxias do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul State) to create an association intended to watch out for the collective interests of the sector and enhance its representativeness and prestige. They did it, there is no doubt about it. Now more than 130 associates and about 900 member companies, whether micro, small, medium or large, share the same principles and goals. “In the beginning, there was a certain disbelief from the companies because the culture of associations was not so widespread. Over time the motto ‘united we are stronger’ has gained ground. In this process, ANFIR itself tried to be very active and creative in its role as a representative of the segment,” says Norberto Fabris, President of the entity. Now this entire industrial park, across 17 States, has 45,500 employees and an installed production capacity of around 215,000 implements a year. In the last decade, despite the crisis that brought down the Brazilian economy since 2015, the sector placed no fewer than 1.4 million implements on Brazilian roads and exported another 45,000 to more than two dozen countries on four continents – places as far away as Cambodia, in Asia, and the Netherlands, in Europe. Last year alone, 120,500 units were sold in the domestic market, up by 33.6% year on year, in addition to 2,700 exported. This performance accounted for revenue of approximately R$ 5.1 billion. Domestic sales grew by 34% on 2018, when 90,200 units were sold – above the previous forecast by the entity, at 20% to 25%. Like the truck market, the leading drivers of this growth in the implement industry are heavy vehicles. In 2019, trailers and semi-trailers totalled 63,500 sales, up by 42.1% on 2018, at 44,600 units. Businesses accounted for more than 52% of total sales. With almost 50 years of experience in the sector, Fabris is well aware of the sector’s dynamics and believes that last year’s result reflects the positive pace of the economy, although he points to an imbalance between the countryside and the city due to the performance presented by the body on chassis segment. The products in the light line totalled just over 57,000 units, up by 25.3% on the 45,500 bodies sold in 2018. Even so, ANFIR points out that historically the sales ratio is 1.8 to 2 bodies for each trailer or semi-trailer. “This shows pent-up demand,” says Fabris. “Due to this ratio, we believe that businesses related to urban operations can still grow further.” There is, therefore, a clear perception that 2020 will continue the recovery that began in a more material way as of 2018. Fabris, however, prefers not to estimate absolute figures yet, but considers a new positive double- digit variation. “Every market fall is very fast, while recovery is always slower, but the current positive curve is based on Rewards from maturity 40 ANOS | 40 YEARS | 40 AÑOS