Grupo Dass will cut its activity and production volume due to difficulties in importing components. “Since last year, we have problems,” they warn
By iProfessional
11/04/2023 – 21,26hs
A plant that belongs to Grupo Dass must operate on a reduced basis for at least four weeks, after facing hundreds of difficulties and obstacles to import inputs for several months. This is the factory located in El Dorado, Misiones, where the company produces footwear for the brands Nike, Fila, Umbro, Asics, among others.
The firm and had reduced its staff in August of last year, when it began to notice these adversities caused by economic uncertainty and the complex access to foreign currency. At that time, from the company, they blamed “the obstacles to imports, added to the measures announced by the Central Bank last June.”
A company that makes Nike and Fila footwear works only three days a week.
In a statement issued by the company’s board of directors, they warn that there was “partial interruptions in the production lines”, due to the lack of inputs that arrive from Brazil and -despite the fact that layoffs have been ruled out- they will have to “temporarily” suspend some of their workers. In addition, they recognize the lack of materials for “a month” and that the complications to produce will force them to work only three days a week.
“The industry in general has faced difficulties, which has affected the normal production process of Grupo Dass, delaying the entry of some components and causing partial interruptions in our production lines,” added the executives of Grupo Bass in the released document.
And they add: “This problem has been aggravated by the low stock levels that have been maintained since last year, due to changes, first, in BCRA regulations and, second, in the import control and approval system: SIRAS implemented by the government. Both have impacted the flow of international trade and have generated delays in deliveries.”
Darío Vera, delegate of the firm’s workers, said in an interview with Canal 9 Norte Misionero: “Since last year we have had input problems at the plant, in a meeting on Thursday it was agreed with the workers that on the date of today (April 10) They weren’t going to have activities to manage the materials”.
“The company made a presentation at the National Ministry of Labor to see the possibility of suspending workers on some days of the week to avoid problems of lack of inputs in production,” added the representative of Grupo Bass.
In May 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, President Alberto Fernández had visited this same plant. “Every time they tell me ‘produce,’ I hear give work,” he said.
Without dollars, imports suffer: there are shortages and prices rise
The drought of dollars in the Central Bank exacerbated controls on imports in recent weeks, which is causing shortages of inputs in the industry and of finished products in different items and revived the alerts in different business sectors.
The situation was raised in the last hours directly to Sergio Massa and also to the Secretary of Commerce, Matías Tombolini, by the senior staff of the Industrial Union.
The complaint about exchange restrictions crosses different sectors. From the metallurgical industry to the food industry. About the latter, claims include manufacturers as well as dealers, who fear the lack of supply of products that come from abroad, such as canned goods.
Since official dispatches told iProfessional that are ensuring the full provision of basic inputs for the pharmaceutical and medical industry. And that they are evaluating with a magnifying glass the situation of each item of the industry.
