The Giácomo Madalozzo Industrial District will benefit companies from different segments. Companies such as ESBLIGHT, from the LED lighting industry, N. Michelin, which manufactures firefighting accessories, and Erenge, from the construction industry, are eligible to set up their units. Furthermore, the new district will house metalworking, agricultural and agro-veterinary input industries, as well as food factories. For example, Gasparin Cereais is starting construction in the new district. According to Bruno Gasparin, the company's financial director, the project is in its final phase and the first steps of the work are expected to begin in July, with earthmoving. After that, it will be possible to finalize the general budget for the construction, which should begin between the end of August and the beginning of September. Approximately R$30 million will be invested in the first phase of the works alone. Later, during the first and second years of the company's installation in the new land, more investments will be needed. The current forecast is that the investment could reach a total of R$40 million during this period. Gasparin Cereais has been operating in the food industry since 2010, focusing on sugar, rice and beans.
The Erechim plant is dedicated only to crystal sugar. The other products are outsourced to other partners. However, the industry felt the need to expand when it needed products for other types of sugar, such as brown sugar and demedara. In addition, the current headquarters made the company's operations difficult, which requires ample space for vehicles and machinery.
"We are in a warehouse where no more machines can be dug and we need more machinery," reported the company's financial director. Gasparin is headquartered in the old Industrial District. The expansion to the new land in the Davide Zorzi neighborhood will also allow for other implementations. We will greatly improve efficiency, controls and automation, which cannot be done here due to the limited physical space, explained Gasparin. The investment in a larger space will also have positive consequences in terms of generating new jobs. The company currently has around 50 employees. According to Gasparin, the initial projection is to increase the number of employees by 25% to 50% once the company is installed in the new location. "Over the course of the first two years, the expectation is to double this number," he concluded.
