With the record sales of cars and Government measures against the entry of imported goods, the Brazilian industry of tires had reason to believe in positive results last year. However, the sector lost once again to fight for the Asian competition and closed 2012 with the second consecutive year of decline in activity.
In the accounts of Anip-the entity that houses the national tyre-makers, the production was of 7% to 8% below the volumes of 2011, when 66.9 million tires out of the factories.
Even with the license plates of cars reaching historical levels after the cuts in may, in the tax on industrialized products (IPI), the advance of imports in the replacement market and the still difficult scenario for exports weighed against the tires.
Moreover, the industry was hampered by the difference between sales and production of automakers, as a result of the poor performance of the trucking industry and adjustments in inventories of cars during the first half of the year. Despite the growth near 5% licensing us-what has kept Brazil as the world's fourth largest automotive market-vehicle manufacturing, walked in the opposite direction and showed a fall of 2.1 percent by November.
This combination of factors resulted in a decline of 7% in the production of tires in the first eleven months last year, a total of 57.9 million units, according to the figures of the Anip. Up to October, exports, which account for a quarter of the production, gave 24.2%, while imports, mostly from Asia--have reached 40% of the market, which adds about 90 million tires per year.
"We have always had a positive trade balance, but from 2011 it is negative," says Alberto Mayer, the new President of Anip, to inform the sector marked trade deficit for the second year in 2012.
In relation to the volumes of 2005, when the share of imported was 24%, imports of tires already grew more than sevenfold, according to the Executive. According to him, the dollar's recovery was a relief, but the competitiveness of Brazilian industry remains depressed by the high cost of raw materials such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber and petroleum products, whose prices are set by the international market.
The support of the Government came with the inclusion of tyre manufacturers among the sectors that had payroll burden, along with the increase, from 16% to 25% in import tax rates of a few lines. The dispute against the imported still includes dumping investigations involving tires of cars and motorcycles from Asian countries, including China, Taiwan and Thailand.
But, for the sector, the Government is spending its ammunition in only a portion of the market, being unable to rebalance the forces between the domestic industry and a competition that the Anip already qualified as unfair and opportunistic, questioning the quality of part of the goods from abroad.
Brazilian tire industry representatives also say that the cost of environmental responsibility, arising from the collection and recycling of tires, Brazilian manufacturers at a disadvantage in competition with the already competitive prices in Asia.
This argument, however, has been hit by Abidip, the entity representing the importers, which says that its members are also required to hire companies accredited by Ibama to give destination to your used tires.
For Mayer, the Government's decision to keep for another year the exemption of exports-within the scheme known as Returned-constitutes a starting point for the improvement of competitiveness and, consequently, the resumption of production levels in 2013.
In the face of expectations that point to continued growth in sales of vehicles-with the potential to put Brazil among the three largest markets in the world in the coming years, the tyre manufacturers have invested R $ 7.3 billion between 2006 and 2011. The ongoing investment program-for companies like Pirelli, Goodyear and Bridgestone-provides for disbursements of $ 3.4 billion in the period from 2012 to 2015.
Valor
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