SANLUIS Rassini’s Brazilian subsidiary, Rassini-NHK Automotive (RNA), has invested USD10 million to expand its Rio de Janeiro facility and has finished the construction of its new logistics and sequencing center in Resende in Brazil, according to the company’s press release. Commenting on the expansion, Enrique Villaseñor, CEO, SANLUIS Rassini South America, said, “We are committed to supporting our customers and executing strategic investments such as this, thus enhancing our relationships with them. Brazil has been and continues to be an important country for us to do business in, one in which we are experiencing strong growth, which is being supported by our recent expansion in Rio de Janeiro and the new sequencing center in Resende.”
Significance: The Resende facility supports the delivery of suspension components to MAN Latin America’s assembly line, and the expansion of the Rio de Janeiro plant will boost the company’s ability to supply suspension components for heavy trucks. With these investments, the company expects to increase its manufacturing capacity in Brazil to 1.5 million suspension assemblies annually, which is equivalent to 85,000 metric tons. Brazil is a key growth market for SANLUIS Rassini. In the country, SANLUIS Rassini holds 63% of the market share for leaf springs and 19% for coil springs. MAN has been the company’s major customer in the region and has majorly contributed to the company’s performance. The company’s customer base also includes automakers such as GM, Ford, Chrysler - Fiat, Nissan, Volkswagen, Toyota, Scania, and Mercedes-Benz.
SANLUIS Rassini will release its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended 31 December 2013 on 27 February.
