July 26, 2016 Infrastructures

Volume 9 | Issue 5

Forjafrio Ltda. is the foremost independent company in the production of piston pins and ring rolling in Brazil. In business since 1958, thi

The history of Forjafrio begins in 1958 when current president, Gabriel Abuhad, started his automobile parts company. After that, the company specialized in what is now its main technology, forging metals.

Under the leadership of Gabriel Abuhad, the company developed its process of cold forging in 1970. Since then, a number of things have changed for Forjafrio. Today, the company has two facilities, both located in the state of Sao Paulo, the richest in Brazil. Also, in 1994, Forjafrio started to focus on the production of piston pins and ring rolling. The production of piston pins and rings opened a great possibility for Forjafrio, which has since been able to offer competitive products in the international market. Nowadays, Forjafrio has all the technologies that are required for its entire line of products, such as machining and thermo treatment.

FACILITIES
The company’s headquarters is located in the city of Maua, in the metropolitan area of the city of Sao Paulo. In the Maua facility, Forjafrio has an industrial area of 6,500 square meters. In this facility Forjafrio performs all the production processes associated with metal forging and machining. The Maua facility is also responsible for ring rolling and the production of piston pins, along with other similar parts.

Forjafrio’s second facility, located in the city of Vinhedos, 75 kilometers from the city of Sao Paulo, the gigantic state capital of the state of Sao Paulo, has a constructed area of 2,600 square meters. In the Vinhedos facility, the company works with the thermal treatment of parts as well as with correction of used parts.

CAPACITY TO PRODUCE
Forjafrio deals mostly with two types of pieces, piston pins and rings. These are the core business of the company. A piston pin is a connection between the upper end of the connecting rod and the piston. These are used in many motors found in a variety of places, from chain saws to trucks. The rings are used in bearings and as components for automobiles and a wide array of machines.

The new products from Forjafrio, like the 170-millimeter rings, increase the variety of the company’s products while offering many other advantages. According to Abuhad, in the case of the 170-millimeter rings, one thing that is important is that they allow for reducing the amounts of raw materials used to produce them.

According to Rafael Abuhad, the managing director of Forjafrio, “Our company is today the biggest independent company in this field in the entire country.” To be independent, explains Abuhad, means that all Forjafrio production is destined for the external market.

In order to be the number one independent company in Brazil, Forjafrio had to establish not only a very high quality standard for its products but it also had to be able to produce in large quantities. Today, Forjafrio is able to produce three million parts, including piston pins, rings and other similar parts, per month. These numbers translate into 30 million parts that the company delivers to the market every year.

What’s more, Forjafrio is working on a new facility with a projected size of approximately 4,000 square meters that will be capable of significantly increasing the overall production capacity of the company.

ANSWERING NEW CHALLENGES
As Forjafrio consumers are mostly concentrated in automobile companies, it has been very important for it to be aware of the recent developments in this sector in Brazil. Nowadays, Brazil is one of the top 10 markets in the world for vehicle exportations. Brazilian automobile companies have not so far focused on exportations, but rather on the Brazilian local consumer market. However, since an increase in external demand has been taking place, it is clear that the sector needs to intensify its production.

All of this shows an optimistic panorama for Forjafrio. With business inside and outside of Brazil, constant investment in technology and highly qualified personnel, the company has everything to achieve its projected goals and become one of the top three worldwide independent companies in the field. With its way of family business, offering agile and relaxed treatment to its clients, and with the efficiency and trustworthiness of the best international companies, Forjafrio is surely on its way to be one of the world’s very best.

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