2017-03-01
Multi-brand strategy to overcome Brazil's crisis
The arm of the Linde forklift truck takes hold of the white sack's handle. It raises the heavy load and positions it with pinpoint accuracy above a large metal funnel. The operator presses a single control and more than a tonne of sweet-smelling sugar whooshes down the funnel. Not far away, plastic bottles are rattling through the washing process before being filled, labelled and sealed by machinery. ‘Guaraná Mineiro’ lemonade is a household name is Brazil. You always see the green glass bottles at children’s birthday parties and in cafés that serve sandwiches and pastries. For the Brazilian beverage maker, Refrigerantes do Triângulo, based in Minas Gerais, it is the sugar that makes all the difference. The company uses real sugar to sweeten its lemonade and cola rather than replacing some of the sugar content with cheaper sweeteners, as many of its competitors do.
Nearly 200,000 litres of sparking water, cola and beer leave the factory in the city of Uberlândia every day. The agile STILL trucks load the containers onto waiting trucks. Sales manager Zé Arnaldo da Silva explains: “We are working under extreme conditions. Production runs 24 hours a day and the engines can never cool down. We had 11 Linde trucks in operation but there was no local after-sales support and our vehicles regularly broke down due to lack of maintenance.” Now, da Silva is working with Linde and STILL and receives support for both brands through the local dealer, Moviminas.
“Finally, we have spare parts and after-sales with no waiting times,” he says happily.
“Combining the two was a wise decision,” notes José Bordas, a dealer from Chile. “I now have a wider choice of products from the same supplier.” Fabio Pedrão, founder and manager of Retrak, which now offers rentals from both brands, adds,“The two cater to different market segments.” and Kareen Ratton, a business development manager at KION Latin America, says,“Linde and STILL continue to be two distinct product brands with their own brochures and websites.”