Brazil: Adjustment and Creativity

October 5, 2005

   All granite processed in Cachoeiro used to came from areas close to Cachoeiro. However, with the incredible growth and demand of the industry, new quarries started being activated more towards north of the state, where there is an almost uncountable resource.
   Nowadays, blocks are transported in trucks as far as 300km on roads that, even in good weather conditions, quickly become worn and dangerous. Many blocks literally fall off the truck during their way to the factory.
   The results of the stone industry’ growth is the migration of many companies to Vitória and Serra (a district, full of granite factories, 20km away from Vitória) or even further north to avoid the long path between quarries and factories. A good example of this is Granite Zucchi, which brought its factory from Cachoeiro to an on-site location in Jacaraipe, 60km north of Vitória. Tracomal Mineração went even further; they just opened a huge factory in Ecoporanga, 320 km north of Vitória, where most of their quarries (as owners of Santa Cecilia) are situated.
   The arrival of many European groups, setting their warehouses and factories around Vitória, is also accelerating the process now making Vitória one of the most desirable locations in Brazil; it’s growing above the rate of other comparable cities in the country. Levantina de Granitos, Grein Italia, Antolini Luigi & C. and Bruno Zanet are just a few of the European companies helping to boost the local economy, which is seen as a positive aspect by most Brazilian companies.
   It doesn’t mean that Cachoeiro will disappear; many leaders of the industry, such as Pemagran, Gramarcal, Angramar, Mag-Ban and Jaciguá are maintaining their factories in Cachoeiro without compromising competitive prices, quality and delivery. In fact, the whole region may be evolving, with the different areas becoming more accessible and close to each other.

TAKING THE TRAIN
   Despite the long distances between quarries and factories and the worn roads, trucks are still a big part of moving stone blocks. Now, however, there’s a fine alternative to transport granite to Vitória: the train.
   Vale do Rio Doce, an old state-operated company now in the hands of the private sector and responsible for development of transport and logistics system for the iron and steel industries in partnership with Centronorte, a sister company of Grupo Granasa, involved in extraction and mining for the last 27 years, and Marmocil, its factory, developed three terminals to facilitate transport of blocks from north of Espírito Santo to Vitória.
   The terminals of Carmo da Mata, in the neighbor state of Minas Gerais, Mascarenhas/Baixo Guandú, 120km north of Vitória and Vitória in Vila Velha have the capacity of transporting 1,500 metric tons of blocks per day. The Vitória/Vila Velha terminal is also prepared to divert the cargo either to the port of Tubarão for export, or to the domestic stone factories.
   Niciliana Robson, director of Centronorte and also in the export department of Marmocil, emphasized the importance of this network and the improvements made to the three terminals in recent years.
   “The system is very organized and we used it to transport our blocks from Colatina to our factory in Vitória,” she said in an interview this summer. “This service is available to all companies who want to use it, not only for Granasa and Marmocil.”
   The challenge faced by Centronorte is that most of the industry is used with the idea of trucking considering its informality and speed in getting a block from its quarry to the factory, whether it’s in Vitória or Cachoeiro. Now, if there’s enough time and planning, the train is becoming the preferable way of transport, it’s safe and more-economical.

21ST INTERNATIONAL MARBLE AND GRANITE FAIR
VITÓRIA, BRAZIL
FEBRUARY 2006

   The organizers of the Vitória Fair are busy getting the pavilion ready for the 21st edition of The International Marble and Granite Fair. Often recognized as Vitória Fair, the event will be held Feb. 14-17; this year the pavilion will be equipped with air conditioning, when temperatures in Vitória reach above 40° C (104°F).
   This fair is a branch of the original granite fair of Cachoeiro do Itapemirim, which still takes place annually in August, attracting important representatives of the sector and directed now for the Brazilian domestic market. In 2003 Milanez & Milaneze brought the event to Vitória not only for the infrastructure the city offers, but also to accompany the growth of the Brazilian granite industry internationally.
   Vitória Fair has been a success since then, growing approximately 20 percent every year in exhibit space and attendees. Last year, the total number of visitors was 28,750, with 1,843 from foreign countries (including 455 U.S. attendees). Of the 380 exhibitors, the mix included 266 stone suppliers and 102 machinery/products suppliers. Among the exhibitors were 40 foreign companies, mainly from the machinery/equipment industry.
   If you’re planning to attend the Vitória Fair, it’s not too early to start booking airfare and hotel; the fair will happen one week prior to the week of Carnival in Brazil, and flights and hotels tend to be full. U.S. citizens will also need to obtain a visa before travel; a good place to start for information is www.brasilemb.org/consulado/consular1.shtml.
   To learn more about the event, reservations, etc please visit www.milanezmilaneze.com.br.