REVISTA
CONSTRU
CHEMICAL
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clipping
requirements.Theseareproductsforthethermo-acoustic insula-
tionofwalls, floors and linings, including theDecor line, devel-
oped forprojects thatrequirehighacousticanddesignefficiency.
Cruzwill face thechallengeofdevelopingTrisoft’sBuilding&
Constructiondivision,known inthetextile industryasoneofthe
Brazil’s largestproducersofpolyesterblankets,withover50years
in themarket.Amarketingprofessor at theundergraduate level
atUMCandgraduate level at FMU,MauroCruzhasworked in
the salesdepartmentsofHaironville-ArcelorMittal,Metasa, and
Marko, and served two terms as vice president of Roofs atAB-
CEM (abbreviation forBrazilianAssociationofMetalConstruc-
tion).
SikaAcquiresRemainingSharesofDyflexJapan
and Achieves100-PercentOwnership
Sika has acquired the remaining 24.5 percent of DyflexHD
Co., Ltd. and achieved 100-percent ownership. The complete
takeover further strengthens Sika’sposition in the Japanese con-
structionmarket.
Sika has beenpresentwith its own subsidiary in Japan since
1932and iswell-knownasa reliablepartner formany landmark
projects,havingaparticularlystrongpresence in theareaofcon-
creteadmixturesandsealing&bondingsolutions.Thecomplete
takeover of Dyflex confirms Sika’s long-term commitment in
Japan and is another step in strengtheningSika’s position in the
Japaneseconstructionmarket.
ChemicalDeficitGrows13.6%in2013,ReachingUS$
32Billion
Brazil importedUS$ 46.1 billion in chemicals in the course
2013.The figure represents an increase of 7.3 percent over the
previous year. In fertilizer intermediates alone, themain import
item for the industry,more thanUS$8.2billionwerepurchased,
a0.4-percent increasecompared to2012.
Exports, on the other hand, amountingUS$ 14.1 billion in
2013, shrunk 4,6 percent in compared to 2012, particularly af-
fected by the fall of 7.5 percent in sales of thermoplastic resins
32.2percent insalesofelastomers.
The chemical trade balance deficit totaledUS$ 32 billion in
2013, the greatest figure ever recorded, confirming the forecast
made byAbiquim during last December’sNationalMeeting of
theChemical Industry. It representsa13.6-percent increaseover
2012,when thechemicaldeficitwasUS$28.1billion.
PPGIndustries’CEOAmongthe40MostInfluential
Executivesat ICIS
PPGIndustrieshasbeenhonoredyetagain inglobalchemical
market. In a study conductedby the IndependentChemical In-
formationService(ICIS)bythetitle“TheTop40PowerPlayersof
2013”,PPG’schairmanandCEOCharlesE.Bunchrankedeighth.
The study, which lists and describes the top-40 players in
the global theworld’s chemical industry, emphasizes the profits
turnedbyPPGunderBunch’smanagement in anunstable eco-
nomicenvironment.Among thehighlights, thecreationofAxi-
all, anew company resulting from themerger betweenGeorgia
Gulf andPPG’s chemical business in the beginning of 2013, as
well as the acquisition of AkzoNobel’s American architectural
coatings business.As a result, besidesprice reductioncorporate
polices, PPG concentrates 90 percent of all sales related to the
coatingsmarket.
BusinessEnvironment-SalesofBuildingMateri-
alsUp4.4Percent in2013
Sales in theyearreachedR$57.42billion.Expectations for
2014pointtogrowthof7.2percentover2013.
Anamaco released the results of amonthly study of sales in
themarket for buildingmaterials. Conducted by theAnamaco
University’sResearch Institute, the study shows sales inDecem-
berwere very close to theNovember results and, therefore, dis-
playedno growth. In the comparison betweenDecember 2013
andDecember2012, theperformancewas1.5percentbetter.The
monthly tracking surveywas carriedout in530dealers in all of
Brazil’sfiveregions.
In theaggregate for theyear, salesgrew4.4percentover2012,
achieving hitting R$ 57.42 billion—a historical record for the
industry. “Wehad a 2-percent decrease in thenumber of stores
that improvedperformance in relation toNovember, but all seg-
mentssurveyedpresentedseveral results thatwereclose to those
achieved inNovember, except paints, that showed an rise of 10
percent in the number of stores experiencing increase in sales,”
explainsAnamaco’spresidentCláudioConz.
BuildingandConstructionRemainsOptimistic
About2014
The industry’sGDP isexpected togain2.8percentover
theyear.
In the year of 2013, the construction industrykept a slow
pacewhich compromised its growth projections. According
to theSãoPauloStateConstruction Industry’sUnion, known
for short as Sinduscon-SP, the industry closed the year with
2-percent growth, below the 2,5-percent increase in Brazil’s
GDP.
However, Sinduscon-SP assesses that industry’s expects
business to pick up for 2014 are of a comeback, forecasting
a growth rateof 2.8percent. For theBrazilianAssociationof
Manufacturers of ConstructionMaterials, known as Abra-
mat,whichreleases the industry’sperformance indicatorona
monthlybasis, 43percent of themarket believes that thefirst
month of the year will be a good period, showing hopes of
improvement in themarketplace.
This optimism extends to sales ofmaterials. According to
a survey carried out with 530 storekeepers of all of Brazil’s
five regions by theNationalAssociationofBuildingMaterial
Retailers, known for short asAnamaco, sales are expected to
gain 6 percent in the first half and 8 percent in the second,
withayear-endgrowth rateof7.2percent.
