Global engineering group Trelleborg continues to make significant investment into the Brazilian market, creating a platform for local presence and growth across a wide selection of industries. Existing, recently established and acquired facilities will be joined by Trelleborg's latest investments in new state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities for printing blankets and offshore equipment. The region is of high priority for Trelleborg and will be a focus for future growth initiatives. President and CEO at Trelleborg, Peter Nilsson, commented, "With markets such as oil and gas, infrastructure, agriculture, mining and graphics all growing at a rapid rate, Brazil has quickly become a hotbed of activity for a number of our business areas. As such, we've made a group commitment to increase our presence and customer support in this key region.

"Our investments, including the opening of new manufacturing facilities across the country, will continue to bring us closer to the action in our chosen market sectors, as well as to our existing customer base and prospects. On-the-ground production and technical support, something our customers have come to know and expect from the Trelleborg brand, will expand."

Located in Brazil's major oil hub, the coastal city of Macaé, approximately 200 kilometers/112 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, the new Trelleborg Offshore facility will manufacture Trelleborg Offshore's complete product portfolio, including a wide range of polymer-based solutions for offshore topside and subsea oil and gas exploration. Official opening of the facility is planned for February 2012. Brazil is anticipated to be the world's largest subsea offshore oil/gas market in 2013/2014 and Trelleborg is moving ahead to be in pole position for this development.

The new Trelleborg Printing Blankets facility is located in Santana de Parnaiba, near São Paulo. Trelleborg will invest in production capacity during 2011 and 2012. It is anticipated that production will begin gradually by the first half of 2012 under the brand names Vulcan and Rollin to strengthen the company's already leading position in the region's printing blanket market.

These new facilities add to Trelleborg's already strong presence in Brazil. Last year, through its Trelleborg Engineered Systems business area, Trelleborg acquired a business that focuses on specially designed oil hoses for surface and deep-sea applications located in Santana de Parnaiba. Trelleborg Printing Blankets will be co-located alongside this facility.

Trelleborg Wheel Systems has several sales offices in the country, with its main ones in the São Paulo area supporting agriculture, with high-end tires designed specifically for the well-deployed and large agriculture sectors like soybeans, corn and sugar cane, and supporting the growing forklift sector. The state of São Paulo is also home to the Trelleborg Wheel Systems headquarters for Latin America, while Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has a manufacturing facility and sales office in São José dos Campos.

A sector which is anticipated for further growth in South America is automotive. Trelleborg Automotive has a major facility in the strategic location of Guarulhos and is well positioned to supply the increasing demand in Brazil. Looking to the future, this Trelleborg facility will belong to a joint venture Trelleborg is planning with another company. Nilsson continued, "We have strong growth ambitions for Brazil and the country is quickly becoming an increasingly important market for our business. We will soon have more than 1,000 employees across our various businesses in the region, and thanks to the continued and dedicated investment that is being made by the organization, the outlook is excellent."