Saint-Gobain sells for 2.9 bi Verallia euros

Saint-Gobain completed the sale of the company to French packaging Verallia glass in a transaction of 2.9 billion euros. The groups Apollo Global Management LLC and Bpifrance have 90% and 10% stake in manufacturer, respectively.
In an interview with the DCI, the Managing Director of South America Verallia, Hugues Denissel, said that the company now will be the main focus of shareholders. "Saint-Gobain was important to the development of the company, but we weren't a priority for the Group's business".
The Verallia has 47 factories in the world, three of them in Brazil. A fourth manufacturing unit is ready to start operating in the city of Estância in Sergipe.
In the local market, the manufacturer has higher acting in the segments of beer, wines, spirits and food.
"We have increased recently the production capacity of our plant in the southern region in 20% to meet the growing demand in the country," said the sales manager of packaging, Alexandre Mendes de Oliveira.
The Commission explains that, even in the face of crisis, some niches showed growth in Brazil, such as grape juice, for example. "Although the volumes are still small, there is a great potential for expansion in this business".
In addition, with the appreciation of the dollar, products like middle-range price wines and sparkling wines showed growth. "There's been a migration of audiences with the crisis. Many consumers started to buy national drinks, "points out.
With that, the Verallia factory in Campo Bom (RS) had a significant increase in demand mainly by wine makers. "About 80% of the national production in this segment is in Rio Grande do Sul", he adds.
The company also is expanding its operations in the Northeast, through the Resort plan. The forecast is that the unit to start operating in December this year.
"This region still has a huge potential for growth, especially in the segments of beer and alcoholic," ponders Denissel.
Competition
The account executive the market of glass for packaging has been increasingly acrimonious. In addition to the Vidroporto, which has recently increased Brazilian your locally installed capacity, the beverage giant Ambev should start operating soon with oven itself, taking an important consumption of this market.
"Despite all this, glass per capita consumption is still low in Brazil compared to other countries. We have the potential of growth of the market, "says Hugues Denissel.
Oliveira notes that the Verallia will continue with a focus on higher value-added products. He explains that the company facing not only to compete with manufacturers of glass, but also with other types of packaging, such as plastic. "We tried to show the consumer that the glass has unique characteristics and giving value to the product".
Denissel points out that, despite the difficult time that affect the Brazilian economy, the company will continue to invest. "We know that the crisis will not last forever," he says.