After delays and postponing the turn on its cash flow, the expansion project of América Latina Logística (ALL) in the state of Mato Grosso – which is considered by the company one of the most important investments in its history – was opened yesterday in the presence of the President of the Republic Dilma Rousseff. Now, it has a railroad expansion from the cities of Alto Araguaia to Rondonópolis, a 260-km stretch, and complex with terminals for grain, manufactured products, fuel and containers at the end of the road, whose area is almost all reserved by companies.
Alexandre Santoro, CEO of the logistics concessionaire, says that virtually all areas of the Rondonópolis Intermodal Complex (CIR) are already under contract with interested groups. They are mainly large companies in the area of agricultural commodities, such as soybeans, and fuel commodities, besides Brado, controlled by ALL, focused on container logistics.
According to information collected by Valor Econômico, only the occupants for two plots in the logistics and industrial complex, or 5% of the total area, remain to be defined. ALL believes that about 20 companies will install terminals and industries on the location, and will make additional investments estimated at $316.68 million in five years.
To date, were invested $67.86 million in the complex, according to ALL, in addition to $330.25 million invested exclusively in extending Ferronorte, which originates on the border of São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul. The connection to the Port of Santos is made from that point on Malha Paulista.
ALL’s plans is that the new railroad stretch of Rondonópolis increase by 18 million tons the volume of freight handled annually in the rails of the company in the long run, depending on the plans of the shippers. Today, there are about 60 million tons in the whole managed network in the country, which totals 12,900 kilometers.
The terminal is located in the BR-163 highway, 28 km away from the city center. Most of the freight arrives by truck coming from the grain producing region in the Center-West region and will follow by railroad to the port of Santos. The area in Rondonópolis has 385 hectares (900 soccer fields) and begins to operate with loading capacity of 120 cars every 3.5 hours.
The company is studying a second project in the South region, along the lines of Rondonópolis, although not with the same size. The goal is to raise the productivity of the railroads in South network through a readjustment of logistics terminals, including those in the interior, as well as increasing the potential for attracting freight to the company’s railroad. It says that the studies for this second project are in its initial phase.
Another project to expand rail capacity is already under way in the state of São Paulo, in the descent of the mountain from São Paulo to Santos and is responsible for transporting freight to the port. Two small stretches, however, are in an indigenous area and, due to the difficulties in licensing, according to ALL, the works can not advance. This duplication is part of an agreement with Rumo Logística, which created a corridor between Itirapina (state of São Paulo) and Santos to carry sugar. The current plan is to finish the work by the end of 2014. Until then, it will continue paying fines to the shippers.
New investments are a matter that can be delicate for the company’s balance sheet. The $398.11-million investment in the Rondonópolis project had impact on the company’s cash since 2009, when it was started. This year, ALL planned a turn once the works in Rondonópolis was concluded and the revenue could begin to be counted. But the inauguration was delayed at least a year, as reported by ALL, mainly due to delays in environmental licensing.
The company’s plans are to increase the productivity of the railroad, mainly through the completion of investments in São Paulo, and to be consolidated as an integrated logistics company, entering even in businesses in the port industry.
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