Not all Brazilian enterprises are filled with pessimism. At least not Cetec, a leader in equipment for industrial painting. There are alternatives to overcome the crisis and grow at least 10% in 2016, and one of them, according to Eduardo Cernic, director of Cetec, is the expansion of the company’s own brand, especially at a time when the US dollar is high. “After twenty years distributing cutting-edge imported products, we have acquired sufficient know-how to manufacture machines with international quality, but at much more affordable prices,” he said.

In addition to selling equipment for liquid painting of the European group Exel Kremlin Rexson & Sames, Cetec is a distributor of airless paint machines produced by the US company Titan. “We will continue to supply equipment of both companies, but in the case of airless lines, this year we will introduce the SM-10, a design based on the concept of ‘my first airless’. This is an entry machine, with more affordable purchase and maintenance costs,” said Cernic.

In 2016, Cetec will also launch a pneumatic airless pump – with pressure ratios of 10:1, 15:1 and 30:1 – for the industrial paint segment. “For being a national equipment, with cheaper operation, it will reach a larger number of companies seeking improved performance, but that are unable to afford an imported product.”

Cernic also highlights the new displays of the machines for powder coating Unique Plus, another novelty of Cetec for this year. On a single screen, the painter is able to view all the equipment settings, thus improving performance and reducing paint consumption. In the gun, it is possible to adjust the voltage and electric current, and the machine also features a vibrating base, a device that increases the speed during the color change process. “It is the only Brazilian equipment of its kind to have these technologies.”

The expansion of the company’s brand required Cetec to make, in 2015, a year of zero growth, a series of investments in projects, molds and casting, not to mention the effort to keep all the staff. “We’ve gone through 2015 repeating the result of the previous period, which is still a reason for celebration. But now, we are ready to grow, despite the economic difficulties experienced in the country.”

In parallel, Cetec intends to expand its development area of automated painting systems, in the wake of the growing change in the working parameters of most industries, which have been increasingly seeking to rely on smart factories – a concept that is also known as “Industry 4.0”. “These are solutions tailored to the companies’ needs to keep raising the level of automation of their processes as much as possible,” said Cernic. Yamaha, Caio, Deka, Electrolux, Monark and Tramontina, among others, are already operating with the systems developed by Cetec.

Founded in 1993 and holder of ISO 9001 quality certificate, Cetec has already supplied, from two plants located in São Paulo (SP), over 15,000 machines to more than 4,000 customers throughout South America.