The executive director of the Medium and Small Automobile and Metal Mechanics Entrepreneurs (Ampyme Automotriz) Roberto Madero, announced the reactivation of the industry through an agreement with China.

Madero, who led a representation of his sector in a meeting with vice-president José Vicente Rangel, said that the mission is to "reform the metal mechanics and automobile activities in the country, with a program called ‘a thousand for a thousand’, designed in the People’s Republic of China”.

With this plan “a thousand Chinese industries would settle in Venezuela in association with Venezuelan entrepreneurs, in order to promote production and supplies for Venezuela as well as for the Andean and Caribbean countries”.

He added that “our goal is to develop assembling plants for buses, microbuses, and motorcycles, as well as manufacturing plants for the production of electrical automobile spare parts, hardware items, household appliances, and items for agricultural use. We also made several proposals before the Vice-president, who agreed to convey them to the corresponding ministries, with the purpose of giving an impulse to and strengthening the small and medium automobile spare part industry in Venezuela”.

Madero announced that the program had been signed a month ago, and that soon the Minister of Industry of the People’s Republic of China, accompanied by several entrepreneurs, would contact Venezuelan businessmen. Madero affirmed that “Venezuela and the Chinese entrepreneurs would invest on a 50-50 basis. Of course, it is likely that the Venezuelan contribution is financed by a public institution in order to reinforce private capital”

Apyme Automotriz groups “more than 30 affiliated enterprises, although it was constituted only a year ago. We have associates from all over the country.”

Madero pointed out that ”vehicle production policies in Venezuela are encouraging the sale of economic vehicles; there are agreements signed by the Ministry of Production and Planning, with the assembling plants and spare part manufacturers to launch into the market vehicles affordable by lower income buyers, 60% of passenger vehicle sales in Venezuela”.

Finally, he commented that despite last year’s economic recession, there had been a recovery in automobile sales this year. “Of course, the idea is to increase sales of not only family vehicles, but also of spare parts, for which there is an important infrastructure in Venezuela”, he said.

Published in Quantum, No 29

Alia2