Unilever yesterday inaugurated a factory in Solapur (SP), 197 kilometers from São Paulo, which will produce aerosol deodorants Rexona brands and Dove. The new unit has 25 thousand square meters and received $ 500 million in investments.
Despite the slowdown in the personal care market, the company continues registering advance sales and bet on long-term growth, claimed company executives attending the event.
According to data from Euromonitor consulting, Unilever leads the deodorant segment in Brazil, followed by Beiersdorf, owner of the Nivea brand, and Natura. Last year, the market moved $ 4,92 billion. In all, the Brazilian industry of beauty and personal care recorded sales of $ 43,45 billion in 2014.
"In recent years we have grown twice as much as the market. Even now the market has lower [rate of] growth, we continue to invest in the country, "said the Executive Director of Unilever, Paul Polman, in press conference yesterday at the new factory.
Aguaí plant already operates with two production lines for aerosol deodorants. The third line, scheduled to go into operation until 2016, will produce items in the portfolio of personal care and home. The company does not reveal which the productive capacity of the unit.
Paul Polman said that the unit production of Aguaí is intended for the domestic market demand. "We are focusing on the domestic market which has enormous potential, but in the long term, over the next ten years, we could be exporting," said Unilever's global Executive Director.
Ability
In addition to the newly opened unit in São Paulo, Unilever has 27 factories under construction around the world, said the Executive.
"Africa also has enormous potential and should grow enough over the next few years," said he. The Brazilian is the second largest operation of the company in the world, behind the United States and followed by India.
The company is present in 190 countries. Only in Brazil, Unilever has 10 industrial complexes and 15 production lines. Last year, the company had revenues of $ 16.7 billion in the country, against r $ 15.3 billion in 2013.
The company also has a production line of deodorant in Argentina, which accounts for sales of this product type in Brazil despite the inauguration of the new line in the State of São Paulo, according to the President of Unilever Brazil, the company must keep imports from the neighboring country.
In Brazil, the next project is to build a plant in the municipality of Escada (Pernambuco), near the port of Suape. The pernambucan unit must receive a contribution of $ 600 million.
"There will be produced and there will also be a food distribution center for the Northeast," said the President of Unilever Brazil, Fernando Fernadez.
According to the company, the food and the Logistics Centre should be ready between the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018. Unilever's expectation is that, when it is in operation, the new manufacturing complex manages more than 600 direct jobs and 1,500 indirect jobs.
The memorandum of understanding between the Government of Pernambuco and the company should occur still in September, in Recife.
Scenario
According to him, the positive performance of the company, even in the face of a little favorable economic scenario, can be explained by the introduction of new products and the broad portfolio-with items of lesser and greater added value.
During the dissemination of the results of the second quarter of this year, Unilever said new product growth of pre-washing of the mark in the country and How the performance of home care line, the latter boosted by the release of higher-margin products.
The launch of new products and the migration to liquid soap versions should keep the market for washing heated products in the coming years. The consulting firm Mintel estimates that this year sales should grow 7.5%, to $ 10.5 billion. /A reporter travelled at the invitation of the company.
DCI
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