The fear of uncertainty has paralyzed most of the Brazilian market and virtually all businesses in the country have dwindled. But for companies that have financial stamina, vision of the future and who understand that the economy always works in cycles of ups and downs, now is the time to prepare for the growth that is to come, whose date is still unpredictable, but it will come .
The bold ones never made so many market studies. When it comes to providing logistical services, while some companies see no alternative but to close their doors, others are tuned in and studying possible mergers and acquisitions. The moment is of low prices for those who want to buy other companies. And the devalued Real favors even more the entry of international companies in the Brazilian market. But the risk is high.
Market studies can show which segments suffer less from the country's economic downturn, as well as those which can bring the highest margins.
The apple of the eye for most logistics operators has been the pharmaceutical segment. As it has a higher added value and is less susceptible to economic crises, this industry still has a lot to develop in terms of logistical efficiency.
The logistics of the health segment was studied by ILOS in 2015, and is being studied again in 2016. This chain involves laboratories, pharmacies, hospitals, drug industries, hospital materials, prostheses, among others. In this segment, as ILOS research featured in Leonardo Julianelli's post, it appears that stock-outs in pharmacies are very high (31%), that the exchange of information between links in the chain is low and that stock management has much to be improved.
A good market study should include data analysis and statistics that show historical trends in cargo handling, as well as competitor analysis and interviews with potential future customers.
The new perspectives in Brazilian economic management may bring a reduction in the fear of companies. Perhaps the bold ones, who invested in downturns, will be lucky enough to reap the rewards of their choices in the not-too-distant future.
Maria Fernanda Hijjar
https://ilos.com.brManaging Partner of ILOS, she holds a master's degree and a bachelor's degree in Production Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). With over 10 years of experience in Logistics and Supply Chain, she has worked on various projects, managing and participating in research related to the topic. She has published more than 20 articles in newspapers, magazines, periodicals and conference proceedings, and is co-author of several titles in the COPPEAD Collection published by Atlas and in the ILOS and CEL/COPPEAD Logistics Panorama Collection.
