Damien Kantor
10/20/2020 12:03 PM
Clarín.com
Economy
Updated 10/20/2020 12:06 PM
The concern in Tierra del Fuego is logical.
Cellular manufacturer Brightstar
, a multinational that produces for Samsung and LG and has 2 plants and more than 500 employees,
"is looking for options" for its departure from Argentina
.
A senior source from the company confirmed to
Clarín
that they are
looking for "a strategic partner
" to transfer the operation to it within the framework of a global process of "
divestment in some markets, including Argentina
."
It is not an easy task since Brightstar is one of the main companies based in the Fuegian promotional regime.
The version of a possible Brightstar exit began circulating a month ago.
But in the last hours
contacts
with possible interested parties
have intensified
, so far without success.
The name that resonates the most is Mirgor
, which also produces cell phones for Samsung and could absorb a significant part of the operation.
In fact, this Tuesday afternoon, senior executives of the Korean company
will hold a meeting
with the two companies to
analyze alternatives
, including a merger or the transfer of production lines.
"
The biggest obstacle is the high costs of the personnel
", remarked several sources of the industry.
The concern for the future of Brightstar in the country
caused a stir in different areas
.
In recent weeks, the island's governor himself, Gustavo Melella, took a personal interest in the issue and asked directly
if Mirgor intended to buy it
.
There were also union contacts with companies and even with the Government in
order to avoid layoffs
.
Without going any further,
the head of the UOM, Antonio Caló, expressed his concern
about the situation of Brightstar workers in a meeting at the Casa Rosada last week.
This was made known to the Minister of Productive Development, Matías Kulfas.
The Brightstar case is extremely complicated and has many edges.
The multinational settled in the country in 2003
, when the government of Eduardo Duhalde reopened the promotional regime.
Since then, it has coexisted with 13 other business groups, including Newsan, Mirgor, Radio Victoria, BGH and Philips and receives tax benefits for its activity.
In the current context,
the options for his exit are narrow
.
"In the last weeks they offered it to several, but they can
not find a buyer,
" explained a qualified source from the sector.
There are already 28 global companies that have closed or are looking for partners, including Falabella, Latam, Glovo and Walmart.
In any case, the decision has been made and is part of a global restructuring process of the company, which assembles and distributes electronics for different multinational brands.
It belonged to the Japanese group Softbank and its main client worldwide is Samsung.
The key precedent came last month, when Brightstar passed into the hands of a private investment fund, which now reviews the profitability of its operations in the markets where it operates.
In Argentina,
Brightstar has 526 direct employees
(out of a total of 7,840, that is, 6.7% of the industry) and from January to September it
produced 559,697 cell phones
(out of a total of 3,732,135, that is, 15 %).
His departure implies a hard blow for the provincial coffers and also for the brands that depend on his activity.
At this afternoon's meeting, Samsung will evaluate the possibility of concentrating all its smartphone production in Mirgor, from the Iatec group.
It is not easy either.
From the company they say that they are interested, but that they
can retain only half of their workforce
.
Mirgor not only produces cell phones and TV: another of its businesses is car air conditioners and it has Toyota among its main customers.
In addition, 2 years ago, Famar, one of its competitors, bought an operation in which it absorbed 200 employees.
Today, the company has a total of 1,200 employees distributed among its 3 plants located in the town of Río Grande.
