FUCHS celebrates 50 years
FUCHS celebrates 50 years – , the largest independent manufacturer of lubricants and related products in the world, has just celebrated 50 years since its arrival on the Brazilian market. The company’s history in the country is marked, above all, by investment in innovation, excellence in quality and strategic partnerships.
FUCHS arrived in Brazil in 1973 as Renolub Lubrificantes, a partnership between Fuchs Petrolub and HOESCHST. Initially, the company was responsible for manufacturing four types of lubricants for the industrial line. Currently, the company has a complete portfolio for the Brazilian market, with more than 700 products serving the entire national territory.
To celebrate the date, FUCHS do Brasil received a visit from the Group’s global CEO, Stefan Fuchs, who commented on the company’s evolution in the country over these five decades. “We started activities in Brazil serving only the industrial sector. With the country’s potential and the excellent management exercised during this period, we expanded our operations to another five divisions, which includes the industry segment itself, in addition to automotive, OEM, specialties and aftermarket, which demonstrates Brazil’s relevance for the company ”, he explains.
According to the executive, the country plays a prominent role in the Group’s business. “Our three biggest markets around the world are Germany, as this is our origin, China and the United States. However, the next regions are Australia, Brazil, India, Mexico and Poland. Which places Brazil as one of the ten largest FUCHS markets in the world”, he highlights.
With its own factory in the city of Barueri (SP), which has a total area of 10,050m² and 3,860m² of built area, the company recorded more than R$330 million in net sales in Brazil in 2022.
Consolidation and expansion in the Brazilian market
Over the course of half a century of history, the company has established itself as one of the main lubricant manufacturers in Brazil, with a product line that serves a wide variety of applications, from industrial machines to automotive engines and the food industry.
To reach this level, the company collected remarkable moments on its journey in Brazilian territory. As part of the strategy to achieve an excellent quality level, the 1990s were marked by the achievement of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards, which guarantee safety in all of the company’s processes.
Business expansion occurred, above all, following acquisitions made in the 2000s, such as the Tributec, Igucima and Gleitmo brands, in addition to the creation of the Lubritech division, which were fundamental for consolidation in the country.
In the last decade, achievements have multiplied. Since the arrival of the CASSIDA line in 2014, FUCHS also announced the acquisition of Pentosin and the creation of the H1 Cell for food products. Regarding the quality of the solutions, the IQA – Brake Fluid, IATF 16949 – Automotive Quality, Kosher and Halal certifications demonstrate the company’s commitment to excellence.
However, FUCHS’s success is, more than anything, the result of the hard work and dedication of all the company’s employees, partners and customers, explains the executive. “The backbone of FUCHS is directly linked to people. The passion, dedication and expertise of each employee were, and continue to be, essential to the achievements that led the company to this remarkable 50-year milestone”, comments the global CEO.
Eyes to the future
In addition to investing in innovation and quality excellence, FUCHS envisions a future of expansion, with strategic planning aligned with the company’s objectives and business opportunities.
As part of this expansion plan is the construction of a new plant in Sorocaba (SP), whose 84,235m2 plot of land currently houses the company’s Distribution Center. The new plant project has a built area of 10,158m2, almost three times larger than the current factory in Barueri. According to the schedule, the objective is for the company’s operations to take place entirely in the new factory by 2028.
According to the company’s CEO, the potential demonstrated by the Brazilian market justifies this type of investment. “We want to grow profitably and we still have a lot of potential. Today, the aftermarket has boosted our development in Brazil and Latin America. But beyond that, mining and agriculture, for example, are huge businesses in Brazil, in which we still do not fully participate. Therefore, we need a larger-scale plant, where we have the potential to manufacture these products, increase the project pipeline, develop new businesses and, consequently, increase our sales even further”, concludes Fuchs.
About FUCHS
FUCHS is a global group with German roots that has been developing, producing and selling lubricants and related specialties for over 90 years for all application areas and sectors. The group has more than 60 companies, employs more than 5 thousand employees and is the main independent supplier of lubricants in the world. With a portfolio of more than 10 thousand products and services, FUCHS serves more than 100 thousand customers globally in the following sectors: automakers, automotive parts suppliers, mining and exploration, metallurgy, agriculture and forestry, aerospace, power generation, mechanical engineering , construction and transport, as well as the steel, metallurgical and cement industries, the food industry, the glass production sector and the foundry and forging industry, among others.
