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 In Brazil, sales of highway implements are showing signs of recovery. In July, there was a demand for 10,599 units, representing growth of 14.54% in comparison with the 9,253 units licensed in June. The figures were disclosed by the National Association of Highway Implement Manufacturers (Anfir).
Despite the sector's performance having improved for the second month in a row, the president of the Anfir, Rafael Wolf Campos, claimed that the result is not yet sufficient to make up for the losses.
"The result has been positive in the last two months, and that is important to keep the spirits up for companies in the sector, but not enough to compensate our losses. After all, we were faced with plummeting production and sales since September 2008," said the president in a release issued by the Anfir.
Implements of the light type (bodies on chassis) recorded the greatest growth, with 6,898 licensings in July, growth of 18.73% compared with June. As for the heavy type (trailers and semi-trailers), there were 3,701 new licensings, 7.49% more than in the previous month.
From January to July, the industry exported 1,245 units, a reduction of 62.78% in comparison with the 3,345 units shipped in the same period last year.
According to figures supplied by the Anfir, foreign sales remain the main contributing factor to the losses incurred by the sector. "The signals show improvement over the previous months, but we are still way below the levels recorded in 2008," said Campos.
According to him, the exemption from the Tax on Industrialized Goods (IPI) and the change in rules for the line of financing offered by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) have contributed for the improvement seen in recent months.
So far this year, the implement industry sold 59,998 units of equipment in the domestic market, a 21% reduction over the first seven months last year. In spite of the slowdown, Campos stated that companies are maintaining their investment projects.
Anba
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