Even with the sector's public concessions program at a standstill, Brazilian export companies that use highways to take their goods to ports are now migrating to rail. Previously pushed off the rails by the lack of investment in Brazilian railroads, these companies are looking for private logistics partners in the area to escape unpredictability and also seek cost reduction. Although the routes are longer by train, in some cases the option leads to savings of up to 20% compared to trucks.
In the opinion of the specialist in infrastructure from consultancy Inter.B, Cláudio Frischtak, the businessmen's vision goes beyond the present scenario: they are preparing for the near future, which tends to be one of increased transport costs. “The tendency in the coming months is for there to be a readjustment in fuel prices. An increase will come one way or another. ANTT (Agência Nacional de Transportes Terrestres) has just increased tolls on nine roads”, recalled Frischtak. “What shipping businessmen are doing is looking much more carefully at the Rail option. Decisions are not made just today. They assess future costs,” he pointed out.
With the readjustment of fuels, diesel used by trains also rises. But for Frischtak, the balance is less uneven. He considers that the country still has an “inverted” matrix, with excess weight on the roads, but there is a change in the relative price of transport that should lead to a “greater rationalization” of modes. “The preference for those who transport grain and general cargo is by rail. But, historically, companies have opted for road transport because there is not enough supply and flexibility in rail transport in the country,” he said. “The problem is not one of demand. To the extent that there is supply, I think the trend today is for migration to railroads,” he added.
The giant JBS is one of the examples of companies that yielded to the advantages of the Railways. The company should transport around 125 tons of meat this year by train, a significant increase compared to the 18 tons moved in 2013. The loads leave from the units installed in the states of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rondônia and São Paulo by truck, they arrive at the railway terminal in Cambé (PR) and cover the stretch of approximately 500 kilometers to the port of Paranaguá by train, where they are exported. With the use of the Rail route, you can obtain savings of 15% to 20% compared to the road modal.
Floresta Real, an exporter of noble teak wood, has also recently opted for the railway line. In the case of the company, not because of the issue of costs which, in the business, end up being equal to those of road transport, but because of the punctuality of the service. “We opted to work with rail mode due to its regularity. This is the main element. With the Railroad, we were able to have planning, stability and meet schedules. As exporters, we have commitments abroad that need to be fulfilled on time and regularity in delivery is essential”, said the company's partner-director, Eduardo Medeiros.
According to him, the company does not want to run the risk of going through experiences like those of soybean producers who, with the difficulties faced by trucks on the roads, were unable to make shipments in Santos and Paranaguá and at the last minute had to redirect the goods to the port of Rio Grande, to avoid losing contracts. For this reason, just over a year ago, it started to operate by train, via the Rondonópolis terminal.
Another factor that has contributed to the option of railway companies is the modernization that the private sector is applying to the modal, despite the obstacles in the government concessions program. Attentive to the needs of this niche, the intermodal operator Brado bet on investments in Rail Transport by containers and has already reaped the rewards. The company closed the second quarter of 2014 with an 18% growth in transported volume, compared to the same period in 2013. “The demand for our service is increasing every day. To serve it, we are buying two more locomotives and 300 wagons in 2014. We are no longer a company that runs only on its own rail network to operate as a partner in other networks”, said the company's financial director Adriano Bernardi.
Source: Brasil Econômico
