Drives LLC, has entered into a joint venture with MethalC Ltda. in Curitiba, Brazil.
The plant will be Drives' ninth facility worldwide and its first in South America. This joint venture was formed with MethalC Maquinas E Pecas Ltda, which is Brazil's leading manufacturer of agricultural platform auger assemblies for combines assembled in Brazil. MethalC is ISO 9001-certified with the Brazilian Bureau Veritas. The new joint venture company is now registered as DrivesMC Ltda. in the state of Parana, Brazil. It will primarily serve the agricultural combine assembly plants and other agricultural OEM's in Brazil.
DrivesMC Ltda. will manufacture a complete line of mounted screw conveyor augers. It will also provide inventories of Drives USA roller chains and assembly of conveyor chains for the agricultural combine plants and other select agricultural OEM's.
The new plant will exceed 1,000 square meters and house all necessary manufacturing equipment, engineering, sales and quality personnel to service customers in Brazil. Plans provide for plant expansions.
"Our joint venture in Brazil will allow DrivesMC Ltda. to provide in-country content and just-in-time delivery preferred by our Brazilian customers. We are committed to providing our 51 years of quality excellence, engineering expertise and manufacturing technologies to further serve our global customers such as John Deere, Case New Holland and AGCO/Massey Ferguson," said John Almarez, managing director for Drives LLC in Latin America.