AD_MAGAZINE_343

35 AutoData | April 2018 critical for manufacturers to continue in- vesting in technology. “Since Inovar-Auto the automotive industry has done its part to reduce the emission of pollutants with investments in technology. But if the ma- rket is not open to further advances this may lead the parent companies to rethink their investments here.” In his presentation, the manager of An- favea also mentioned the case of the pre- mium segment automakers, whichwithout specific rules for low volume production could also revise their plans with respect to Brazil. According to José Luiz Gandini, presi- dent of Abeifa, the Brazilian Association of Importers and Manufacturers of Automoti- ve Vehicles, the publication of the regime may even be for the next government: “We believe that it is as short as possible, but I believe it will not be released this year”. Abeifa, according to its leader, definitely supports the program: “We participated in almost 100 meetings in Brasilia on the subject, but it is important that it be given with an isonomic treatment for all partici- pants in the chain”. AUTO PARTS Another clear concern raised during the event is the possibility of missing auto parts to meet demand, a theme also discus- sed in the AutoData 342 edition AutoData. Mercedes-Benz’s director of purchases, Erodes Berbetz, said: “There may be a bottleneck in the supply of parts if com- mercial vehicle sales increase above the 30% forecast for this year. According to him, importing components can be a one-time resource to support this volume increase”. “Some suppliers, and not all of them, are working within a margin to meet just that demand for 30% production increase. But we have the philosophy of staying very close to the suppliers. So we can foresee those movements.” FCA’s purchasing director, Antonio Filo- sa - nownamed the presidente of FCA, re- placing Stefan Ketter - who split the panel with his colleague of M-B, does not see this risk: “Our suppliers are already prepared for growth. In any case, if we happen to notice that there is some risk of shortages, we can help them accelerate some kind of productive investment”. Filosa, who will be replaced by Luís Santamaria in the manufacturer’s purcha- sing directorate, pointed out that, like M-B, FCA maintains constant monitoring and relationship with suppliers. There are two programs in the company aimed at impro- ving the competitiveness of partners and, consequently, the company itself: Value Optimization Product Center, VOP, and Supplier Integration Management, SIM. “Our goal is to expand these programs to more suppliers and other automotive hubs. We want to take the good things in these models to all regions”, said the executive, adding that in Goiana, PE, at the Jeep Automotive Hub, 88 suppliers are already participating in the VOP. At Mercedes-Benz, the practice is simi- lar, according to Berbetz: closely monito- ring the financial health and management of partners “is a prime work”. For Sindipeças, the auto parts sector is prepared to support the growth of vehicle production this year. According to Sindi- peças president, Dan Ioschpe, including