They unite to the small group of export companies, those that even they felt the last years crisis of MERCOSUR of the last years, have been able to keep growing or didn't have such a severe impact as in the case of the nutritious, textile, chemistry and of metal industry. This is the case of the companies of plastics, of paper and of some assembly plants like that of the cigarettes and of the fans.
The reexport activities and the régime of temporary admission (which is part of the Law Nº 621/95 that approves the protocol of customs officer of the MERCOSUR) represent important antecedents of the current assembling régime. In the analysis of the acting of the export companies was observed that those companies whose origin is in the reexport activities passed in some cases to the assembling régime. Let us take a closer look to a successful example.
The company A, that requested to maintain their anonymity, is a medium company of a foreign manager settled down in the country with a lot of experience in business and a good growing strategy, in new products. It arose of the reexport activities in Ciudad del Este. Starting from the year 1997 toke place and it markets electric devices mainly dedicated to Brazil. It was positioned in the main Brazilian markets with products for people of low revenues but offering better quality that their competitors.
He sells under an own trademark and give support to the distributors to get covered the sale points. He works with distributors in Brazil and with a line of new products searches to enter in other countries of the region. The company is doing nothing more but exportation and doesn't sell anything inside Paraguay.
In total it produces three types of the same electric device, all positioned in a very certain quality, that is to say better than the Chinese products. After having had a team of 150 employees decreased down to 70, because in 1999 the devaluation of the Brazilian currency forced them to diminish the production drastically. Newly in the second semester of the 2000 the company grew again.
In the production process the part of plastics injection is automated but the armament of the apparatuses is made in manual form. There are six installed injectors. The proprietor has hired some technicians for the development of new products. For them he is investing in new wombs for two new products with good development perspectives and for location in the markets. Until now the company is stopped about 4 months a year, in winter, by little sale and because of maintenance should be made, but with the amplification of the two new products it is planned to end up being able to work every 12 month of the year and to arrive to an amount from invoice superior to the US $20 millions.
The example shows a company that is not still a pure assembly plant in the sense of the Law Nº 1064, because it lacks of a predetermined buyer in the exterior, for its production, but at least it completes the characteristics of a temporary import of inputs, its transformation in a product industry and its reexport in 100%.
Although the company has also suffered the negative effects of the crisis of the last years, its impact was notably smaller that that which felt the traditional exporters and in spite of all the difficulties the company has been able to keep growing.
Thomas Otter
