36 Since its founding on May 22, 1980, ANFIR has represented the road transport equipment sector and spoken up for this industry that helps drive Brazil’s economy. Safe hands in the sector To put the time when ANFIR was founded, in the first half of 1980, into context, we have to remember that Brazil was going through a period of economic, political, and social instability caused by rocketing inflation. On March 13, 1979, two days before Joao Batista Figueiredo took over as the last military president of Brazil, a historic strike organized by metalworkers in Sao Bernardo do Campo and Diadema, in Greater Sao Paulo, broke out. It was planned to restore purchasing power lost to successive price increases. The strike even caused concern in the USA, which feared that the Brazilian government’s reaction to the workers’ movement would jeopardize the political reopening begun by Figueiredo’s predecessor, General Ernesto Geisel. Strikes spread across the country and to other sectors. By the end of 1979, inflation in Brazil was 77.2% a year, the highest since the beginning of the military dictatorship in 1964. Despite this adverse scenario, automotive production was growing. It surpassed one million units, including cars, light commercial vehicles, trucks, and buses assembled in the country for the first time in 1978. In 1980, it reached 1.1 million units, the highest since records began being kept in 1957 by the National Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (ANFAVEA). Truck production reached its second-highest level in 1980, at 97,500 units. As is known, truck sales drive the road transport equipment business. It was in this turbulent environment of strikes in the main sector, and increased demand for vehicles, that the National Association of Road Implement Manufacturers (ANFIR) was founded. The exact date was May 22, 1980, at the Chamber of Industries and Commerce in Caxias do Sul (Rio Grande do Sul state). The first meeting was there held to set up an organization capable of defending the interests of manufacturers. According to the late Raul Anselmo Randon, who passed away in 2018, other economic and business groups had representative associations at that time. “But we, although representing an important force in national transportation and, consequently, in the country’s economy, did not have our own, meaning we had no voice,” said Randon. The plan was to join forces and hold regular meetings to exchange information, discuss issues, understand the market, and nurture respect among manufacturers. According to the first minutes of the entity, present at that initial meeting were Raul Randon, Emyr Carlos Facchin (who passed away in 1986), Luiz Dambroz, Júlio Cesar Balbinotti, Roberto Marcon, Vasco Rossetti (who passed away in 2024), and Mauro Guerra. Along with Randon, they represented Rodoviária S.A. Indústria de Implementos para o Transporte, Iderol S.A., Recrusul S.A., Guerra S.A., and Cabrini S.A. Raul Anselmo Randon was unanimously elected the first president of ANFIR. The leader of the largest company in the sector had experience as president of the Chamber of Industries and Commerce in Caxias do Sul. Emyr Carlos Facchin, then director of Randon, was chosen as secretary of the new entity and presented the first draft of ANFIR’s statute. More manufacturers at the second meeting - ANFIR held its second meeting on August 8, 1980. Those who took part in the first meeting in Caxias do Sul were joined by other leading representatives of the transport implement industry. The extraordinary general meeting was attended by Randon, Rodoviária S.A., Massari S.A. Indústria de Viaturas, Viaturas Fruehauf Ltda., Trivellato Engenharia Indústria e Comércio, Viaturas e Equipamentos Ltda., Recrusul S.A. Viaturas e Refrigeração, Guerra, and Carrocerias Furglass Indústria e Comércio Ltda. As the newly-appointed secretary of ANFIR, Facchin explained the national standing of the emerging organization to everyone, emphasizing that meetings could be held in cities like Caxias do Sul, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, or any other that had members. ANFIR moved its headquarters to São Paulo in May 1982. The members saw this change would make sense because auto parts suppliers had joined the association, and most of them were in the Greater São Paulo region. Lauro Pastre Júnior, who was president of ANFIR for two terms, from 1994 to 1997, and from 2003 to 2006, remembers that his company joined ANFIR in 1982. “We needed to be part of a national representative association to better defend the interests of the sector, which until then had little representation,” he says. Little was known about the road transport implement industry outside of the automotive sector. Building relationships was essential to ANFIR’s success. Between Lauro Pastre Júnior’s last mandate and the beginning of Rafael Wolf Campos’ time as president, an important change occurred in ANFIR’s structure. The role of Secretary-General was altered, and Mário Rinaldi was hired as Executive Director, marking the beginning of the organization’s professionalization. As President, Rafael Campos (2006-2009 and 2009-2012) sought to build on this idea through an ANFIR 45 ANOS | ANFIR 45 YEARS | ANFIR 45 AÑOS
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