[Atlas] Veneporte: “Several promising years ahead for the hot end”

In 2021, the Portuguese equipment manufacturer is recording a trend of +15%, “driven as much by IAM as by OES”, adds Abilio Cardoso, CEO of the Portuguese group. Behind the scenes, though, the OEM has challenges to deal with! The main problem this year has been pressure on the supply of raw materials, generating a significant rise in prices, “with peaks of +100% on anodised sheet metal”, adds the Veneporte boss. There were also substantial increases on the most noble materials making up the “hot end” of exhaust systems (particulate filter, catalytic converter and SCR systems containing platinum, palladium or rhodium).

Not to mention the hike in energy prices! To mitigate this impact, the firm had to reinforce its purchasing teams to find alternative solutions from new suppliers and optimise stocks. Nevertheless, the chief executive does not foresee an immediate return to normal prices on the raw material market which are “both unstable and unpredictable”…

Focus on Euro 6

2021 will have been an unpredictable year, with a lot of new variables in the market. But ultimately it will have been a good year. 2022 will therefore carry on from this dynamic, with the same strategy of consolidation in France, Germany and Benelux. The equipment manufacturer also wants to expand in Scandinavia and earn extra market share in Spain.

"We also hope to consolidate our partnership with Faurecia as part of the Easy2Fit program”, adds the CEO. There are likely to be a lot of challenges ahead, starting with the OE market, but “quality products should command preference in the future”, believes Abilio Cardoso, in particular at the “hot end” of exhaust systems. Consequently, Veneporte intends to expand its offering on Euro 6 applications and address the current problem of NOx emissions with the arrival of a minimum of 200 to 250 references to pad out this product category. Naturally, the technological transformations dictated by the low carbon transition mean that Veneporte is required to study its diversification strategy as of today. However, “the hot end of exhaust systems was very much in demand in 2021, and this will continue to be the case in the next few years, with increasingly complex aftertreatment systems and vehicles whose emissions will be increasingly controlled. Our visibility and the recognition our products receive on the market – in particular the IAM – should enable us to look to 2022 and beyond with confidence. There will be opportunities ahead”, concludes Abilio Cardos. l

Jérémie Morvan

To read french version