Fonte: Bnamericas   |   Por Rogerio Jelmayer

Data: 29/09/2020 (leia na íntegra)

The Brazilian mining sector’s strong resilience during the pandemic and positive forecasts for the industry are attracting the interest of more foreign firms that sell services and equipment.

Various companies such as Ingeniería y Construcción Sigdo Koppers (ICSK), a subsidiary of Chile’s Sigdo Koppers and Germany’s FAM, as well as its peers Thyssenkrupp and Bauer Group, have recently unveiled plans to boost their operations in Brazil.

“In recent years multinational companies in various segments left Brazil because of political and economic crises. Now, in the mining sector, we’re seeing a reverse of that, since the mining companies are planning to develop local supply chains,” Valdir Farias, executive director at mining consultancy Fioito Consultoria, told BNamericas.

“Mining companies have realized that with a local chain developed it’s easier to control their costs. We’re now seeing equipment and engineering companies settling in Brazil, but soon we’ll see a wave of companies linked to innovations for the sector also arriving here,” he added.

ICSK, which is already active in Brazil’s power transmission line business, now intends to expand its footprint in the country, offering services and equipment for mining companies, Robson Campos, head of the company’s Brazilian operation, said in a recent interview with specialized mining magazine Revista Mineiros.

“ICSK is one of the most successful construction companies in Chile’s mining sector, with more than 100 projects in the country, as well as projects in the sector in other countries in South America, such as Peru and Colombia. The growth potential of the Brazilian mining market is very significant, with new projects to be carried out in the short and medium term, and we want to offer our proven expertise to customers in Brazil,” Campos told the magazine.

FAM, meanwhile, which manufactures equipment for the mining sector, opened an office in Brazil last year and is hiring new employees to satisfy the demand, Paulo Costa, the CEO of the firm’s Brazilian operation, told BNamericas in a recent interview.

Brazil’s mining sector, a major global iron ore producer, is expected to benefit from growing international demand in the coming years, mainly from Asia and Europe as governments implement infrastructure plans to boost investment and fuel their economies.

“Brazil is entering a booming investment cycle in the mining sector that I believe will last for the next 10 years,” Marco Castro, FAM’s commercial director, told BNamericas.