Sao Paulo, Brazil, 24 Aug – Brazilian group WEG, which has factories in Portugal, China and Argentina, has invested 5.5 million euros in the construction of a factory to increase its production of powdered paints, the group said Wednesday.

The new unit, which has the capacity to produce 900 tons of paint per month, is part of the group’s strategy to increase current production of powdered paint to around 1.5 million tons per month by 2010.

The new factory, which covers a total area of 9,000 square meters, is located in the city of Guaramirim, in the state of Santa Catarina, in the south of Brazil, close to the group’s headquarters in Jaraguá do Sul.

Currently, the group exports powdered paint, used in the production of household electrical items, electrical panels, glass, furniture and car parts, to South American countries.

The sale of powdered paints accounts for around 40 percent of turnover at WEG Química, one of the units of the group, which one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electric motors.

The group currently has, alongside its factories, sales units in the USA, Venezuela, Germany, England, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Australia, Japan, Chile, Colombia and India.

The Brazilian group, which has 13,500 workers, of which 1,400 work at its foreign subsidiaries, this year also plans to invest in expanding and modernizing its unit in China.

The aim is to transform the Chinese unit in Nantong, which was bought in 2004, into an export base to double sales of the Brazilian group in the Asian market. (macauhub)