São Paulo – The electronic industry’s revenues grew 11% in the first half of this year as against the same period last year. The figures were disclosed on Thursday (8) by the Brazilian Electric and Electronic Industry Association (Abinee).
The main growth was identified in telecommunications, with expansion of 21% in the first half of this year as against the same period in 2010, followed by industrial equipment, with growth of 18%, industrial automation, with growth of 15%, and information technology, which expanded 12%.
According to the association, the growth in the areas of telecommunications and information technology is mainly due to greater consumption. Sales of personal use computers rose 17% in the first half of the year as against 2010, whereas the sale of mobile phones, in the same comparison, rose 25%.
Another factor contributing to the growth of revenues of the electronics industry, according to the association, was the investment in energy and telecommunications infrastructure.
Exports, according to Abinee, are still losing space in sector business. In dollars, exports of electric and electronic products grew 2% in the first six months of this year, rising from US$ 3.6 billion to US$ 3.7 billion.
Imports, in turn, grew 20% in the same comparison, from US$ 16.2 billion to US$ 19.4 billion. One of the sectors that presented the greatest growth in purchases from abroad was the mobile telephony sector, which reached US$ 490 million in the period, 111% more than imports registered in the first half of 2010.
The number of sector employees, in turn, rose from 174,700 in December 2010 to 179,400 in June this year.
Despite the growth, the association considered the result below expectations. According to the Abinee, sector business could have been better if the Brazilian real was not so appreciated as against the dollar.
According to the organisation, “despite the growth in productive sector investment in the country and favourable conditions to consumption (low unemployment and growth of average wages), the electronic sector industry could not make full use of this scenery due to the difficult competition due to the exchange appreciation”.
This year, Abinee expects revenues to reach R$ 134.9 billion (US$ 81.4 billion), with growth of 8% over last year.
*Translated by Mark Ament
