Truck manufacturer expands production cut

After the fall of 2012, when the production sector fell 40%, the trucking industry resumed growth trajectory last year and began this continuity recovery in 2014. With the continuation of Government-subsidised financing rates, coupled with the positive prospects for the agricultural crop-two factors that pulled the resumption of last year, there were grounds for optimism. But the reality, at least so far, is frustrating results.
First-quarter sales of 30.6 thousand units, they fall below the level of 2010, when the sector was still recovering from the international financial crisis. To make matters worse, the downturn in domestic consumption is accompanied by the crisis in Argentina, main destination of vehicles exported by Brazil, including the trucks.
The result of this combination has been cut almost generalized in the production of major automakers of heavy-duty vehicles-just in Volvo, installed in Curitiba (PR), there are no records of adjustments. Mercedes-Benz, which was already working on short work week scheme-with one day less than production-, set new measures to resolve an oversupply of manpower estimated at 2 000 workers at the factory in São Bernardo do Campo, in the ABC paulista. From May 5, the automaker will temporarily suspend one of the two shifts away from trucks line the workers by means of paid leave. The number of workers, as well as the term of the licence, is still being negotiated with the ABC's metal workers Union.
In addition, Mercedes will probably next week-open a program of voluntary layoffs all over 12 thousand employees of the Sao Bernardo factory. Layoffs are also provided for in the line of CKD, responsible for the exportation of disassembled vehicles and where they work 200 people.
Extra heavy truck factory of Mercedes in Juiz de Fora (MG), be granted collective vacations of three weeks: between 22 April and 11 May. Is now also set off the automaker's workers on May 2, on amendment of the labor day weekend.
Iveco will also anticipate for this month, the layoffs at the factory of trucks in Sete Lagoas (Minas Gerais). The automaker reports, however, that has not yet defined the period in which these holidays will be granted, as well as the number of workers involved. According to Iveco, the holidays are "a usual instrument to manage the balance between people available and necessary production".
The automakers say that the performance of the first quarter, when sales of trucks fell 11.2%, has been compromised by the Government's delay in defining new rules of credit line for capital assets of the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES). After that, there was slowness in releasing of funds due to change in methodology for credit approval. "In March, only 45% of applications [for funding] Ford had been approved," says the Chairman of the ABC metal workers Union, Rafael Marques.
This week, the BNDES returned to simplifying the processing of these processes, which can be the starting point for a new market upturn. But business people are also concerned about the breakdown of confidence in the economy. "The truck market is a bellwether of economic activity. Buy truck is a decision based on expectation of good transport volumes. But the economy progresses as expected and the impact of that in our sector has been worse than we imagined, "says Roberto Cortes, President of MAN in Latin America. From April 17, a MAN of automaker Volkswagen branded trucks, will drive away, for at least five months, 200 employees of the Resende plant, in southern Rio de Janeiro.
In São Bernardo, 900 workers of Ford trucks line out off today and just return on day 14, while Scania has already scheduled two more stops on ABC: a on 22 April and then on May 5.