A company can have the best in quality material and the most innovative technology on the market, but if its customers aren’t satisfied, it isn’t doing its job. That is why, for Brazilian manufacturer Librelato, customers are its guide and at the centre of its decision-making.
“Our philosophy is based on the understanding that the success of the company’s business is directly linked to customer satisfaction,” said Librelato CEO, José Carlos Sprícigo. “Therefore, we establish constant communication with our customers to understand their needs and present solutions suitable to their reality. Through this dialog, new possibilities in products and innovations are born.”
Librelato is part of the Librepar holding company, which includes: Ibero Group, Sthall Master, Libreparts, also Sigaway, Movanto and Librelato Financial brands. Its manufacturing facilities are found in Criciúma and Içara in the state of Santa Catarina, in the south of the country.
With an industrial site of 86,000m² including four production units, Librelato annually produces 13,500 units of semi-trailers. In 2022 alone, its revenues exceeded R$2 billion (more than €370 million) and it currently employs 2,000 staff.
The company’s portfolio has grown and diversified over the last five decades to include semi-trailers, interlink trailers and road-trains for various applications, such as flatbeds, bulk grains, tippers, tankers, curtainsiders, dry vans, lowbeds, intermodal chassis, among other special lines.
Librelato is one of the fastest growing trailer builders in the national market and currently, it ranks as the third largest company in the sector. It has significantly expanded its international presence, exporting 6,000 trailers in recent years, to become Brazil’s second largest trailer exporter.
The company offers solutions for virtually all product lines in trailers and semi-trailers.
“Our great differential is the robustness of our products, combined with the low weight. This means that Librelato’s trailers are more resistant and, at the same time, lighter,” Sprícigo said. “Therefore, we are gaining, year by year, more space in the national market and in the international market.”
In the last 12 months, the company has invested in the development of new technologies and services for the market. At Fenatran 2022, for example, the main trade fair for the road transport in Latin America, Librelato presented Librelato Financial, the company’s new financing service. During the event, Sigaway was also presented to the market and brought the possibility of monitoring loads and vehicles of any brand. Meanwhile, the creation of the Librepar holding company represented one of the most significant changes for Librelato in recent years. The new group signals a horizon of new possibilities with a structure divided into three verticals, to increase each business unit: Assembling vertical, headed by Librelato, Auto Parts vertical – with Ibero and Sthall Master – and Technology Services vertical, where the startups, Sigaway, Movanto and Librelato Financial, represent the group’s investment in diversifying markets and revenues.
The market
Looking broadly at the trailer market in Brazil, Sprícigo explains that in the segment where Librelato operates, configurations such as tippers trailers, bulk grain and tankers are predominant and account for the largest number of sales, bringing new demands every year. In addition, with increasingly specialized and professional logistics, new configurations are emerging. Trailers in Brazil, for example, which two years ago had three axles, today have four axles which allows carrying more load in a single trailer.
In the segment of trailers and semi-trailers, the Brazilian market reached 57,800 units licensed from January to August last year.
Innovation
The widespread innovation strategy within Librelato focuses on makeing the customer and market need always the priority. As a result, the search for more sustainable, enabling, and profitable technologies for carriers has been a constant, Sprícigo said.
“Cargo is the most valuable product of road transport, and it is precisely what we care about most,” he said. “Our history demonstrates this. We started with trailers that were increasingly lighter, but with greater robustness. That brought greater load capacity to the carrier and the possibility of reducing fuel consumption.”
Another advancement Librelato has made, is in the area of logistics with its trailers connected through high embedded technology, which allows, for example, total fleet management and control through advanced telemetry solutions.
The company also believes in not just investing in products, services and solutions but also in the constant modernisation of its factories, Sprícigo said.
“We understand that the quality of Librelato trailers is closely linked to the advances of our manufacturing processes, especially, to the qualification, engagement, and appreciation of our workforce.”
Offerings
With a focus on delivering economically viable technological solutions to fleet owners as well as lighter and more durable products, the translation is greater profitability to customers according to Sprícigo.
Case in point it the company’s Evolut series in the area of tippers, flatbeds, tankers and curtainsider trailers. In addition to the four-axis version, exclusive options were added to the portfolio that started to facilitate the transport of materials with anti-corrosion properties, speeding up the fastening of loads and enabling the control of fleets.
Following the global trend, Librelato’s current products already have connectivity technology. The telemetry system facilitates fleet management, with intelligence and efficiency and allows operations to be safer in all aspects. Among the most wanted features in the market are real-time location, alert, speed history and downtime, Sprícigo explained.
The Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) also stands out as currently one of the most desirable features by Brazilian fleet owners, primarily due to the extended tyre lifespan it offers. The feature has demonstrated its value by extending the life of the tyres by 30 per cent.
The future
Librelato’s strategies are mainly anchored in the vision of expansion and continuous improvement. Sprícigo said its main goal is to consolidate the company’s leadership in its segment each year, by expanding its presence in national and international markets.
“We will continue to invest in research and development, aiming to create innovative and sustainable products to meet the growing demands for efficiency and safety in the transport sector,” he said.
The company also intends to strengthen existing partnerships with national and international suppliers and customers. In this regard, geographic expansion is a priority, with a focus on new markets and brand consolidation in places where it already operates.
“Librelato will always have the customer as the focus of its activities,” Sprícigo said. “The purpose is to exceed expectations and provide high quality services and products that boost the business of partners and customers.”
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