Stadiums prepare new covers to host the World Cup in Brazil
When hosting the World Cup matches in 2006, the Allianz Arena stadium in Munich showed the versatility of its cover, with a translucent geomembrane liner that received light beams in different colors, according to the soccer team entering the field. The dispute for various kinds of materials to be used by companies in the improvement of Brazilian stadiums to host World Cup matches in 2014 has already started.
Endowed with the “postal card” of the previous World Cup, representatives of the Vinyl production chain try to convince architects about the advantages provided by the material. "The stadiums will be improved. Fifa requires that the seats are covered against rain and sun. The event is an opportunity to invest in the use of vinyl", says the executive director of Instituto do PVC, Miguel Bahiense Neto.
In the Germany World Cup, five out of the seven stadiums built or improved, including the Allianz Arena, used plastic vinyl covers. Without mentioning any names, Bahiense Neto says that three of the Brazilian stadiums might follow Germany's example. This week, the authors of the projects for the 12 hosting stadiums for the 2014 World Cup will be in Salvador to discuss the main issues and eventual materials to be used in stadium improvement works.
An x-ray of the vinyl transformation industry requested by Instituto do PVC to the consultancy company Maxiquim showed that vinyl profiles, used in lining, doors and windows, was the market segment which had the most significant increase in the last decade. In 1997, the segment consumed 3.5% of the total vinyl demand, going to 15.7% in 2008, according to information collected by Maxiquim.
The largest vinyl cover in the country was concluded at the beginning of the year. Anhembi, a convention center in the city of São Paulo, replaced its metallic structure with a cover of vinyl membranes, lining an area of over 70,000 square meters and consuming 5 tons of resins.
The point is not really the amount of vinyl to be consumed during the improvement works at the stadiums, but mainly the appeal provided by the projects in disclosing the advantages of the material. According to Bahiense Neto, the advantages are related to aspects such as easy cleaning and durability. "In comparison to polycarbonate, it is more flexible", he says. "Vinyl is less expensive."
In addition to vinyl in stadium covers, the World Cup will improve the surroundings of the stadiums with investments in basic sanitation, the core segment of resin consumption, as Bahiense Neto emphasizes. Although its market share has decrease in the last decade, the tubes and connections segment is still a market leader, representing 44.2% of total vinyl consumption. In 1997, it corresponded to 54.4%. Today there are 301 vinyl transforming companies, employing 65,000 people, twice as much as 10 years earlier.
Up to July, the consumption of vinyl resins decreased by 10%. The outlook for the sector is that it will start growing again in the second half, causing the setback to stand at 6% throughout 2009, reaching 940,000 tons according to data from Instituto do PVC. In 2008, apparent consumption was 1.04 million tons.
Last year was atypical due to strong imports, which grew by 106% versus the previous year, reaching 365,000 tons. Brazilian company Braskem and Belgian company Solvay are two raw material manufacturers, producing almost 700,000 tons of vinyl per year. They currently have investment projects in capacity expansion. In December, the antidumping measure - of 16% and 18% - against resin imported from USA and Mexico will expire. Source: Valor Econômico -
By André Vieira
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