LATIN AMERICA | REGION REPORT
in spare parts and maintenance.” The efforts do seem to pay off: “Many customers have seen the advantages of working with a high added value product and that in the long term, the product will offer them outstanding results.” Jaso is another Spanish company
with strength in the region. It too has further ambitions: “Despite the current worldwide situation we are continuing with our expansion plans in South America, improving the facilities and
adding considerably more staff at our production centres in Argentina and Mexico,” says Alvaro Arratibel, who works in their marketing department. “The sugar industry, mining, energy sector and water treatment sector are areas which we have noticed are not suffering a lot from the pandemic.” As for demand for technology, “the specifications that our customers look for are very similar to European demands, in speeds, capacities, technology and so on, but our standard solutions for kit cranes
and hoists are very competitively priced, and that is appreciated in the region.” And innovations are not being neglected:
“Similarly, we are seeing a bigger demand for our AGV’s [Automated Guided Vehicles] in Europe: it is a mature product with optimized technology which offers many solutions. So, we are promoting this product also in Latin America. It is very easy to transport and is the best solution for moving heavy equipment at ground level both indoors and outdoors, without limitations of rail length and distance. They bear heavy loads and can be self- propelled and battery powered or manually controlled.” “There have been pockets of moderate
strength in sectors such as telecom, construction, and pharmaceuticals” say CM’s Garcia. “The healthcare industry experienced a boost with the pandemic. In Brazil, energy transmission and wind energy have been doing well. As the rest of the world returns to growth, industries that seem to have potential to recover faster than others are mining in Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Brazil; manufacturing in Peru; and metal working in Colombia. Alternative energy, such as hydropower, presents opportunities throughout the region.” And of course, markets that have been
severely challenged globally, such as aerospace and oil and gas, are similarly impacted here as they are elsewhere.” “The coronavirus crisis in 2020 has been quite complicated,” says Ezpeleta of GH, “and six months of lockdown has led to a change in the negotiation model. Purchasing decisions are months-long processes under normal circumstances, so now they are taking even longer and some crane sales for the year 2021 have actually come to a halt. Since in the current situation it is more difficult to travel and visit customers, we have recently been doing a lot of work in the digital environment and in social media. Also, given that purchases have been delayed, we are carrying out more maintenance services and sales of multi-brand spare parts.” “Latin America was impacted by the pandemic later in the cycle than most of the world,” says Columbus McKinnon’s Hönack, “and is currently more challenged than North America and Europe. The impact of the pandemic on the countries here has been significant, as you might imagine, given their smaller economies
Q A Jaso double-beam gantry crane at work
32 | April 2021 |
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