Pouso Alegre attracted R$ 1 billion in 2023 and continues to grow in private investment.
Pouso Alegre, in the south of Minas Gerais, attracted R$ 1 billion in private investment last year and, according to the town hall, is expecting the same by 2024. In constant expansion and with a growing international reputation, the municipality has 80% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) coming from the industrial and services sectors.
This success is mainly due to the strategic location and the favorable environment for business and investment, which has been a strategic differentiator for large groups.
According to the Secretary for Economic Development, José Carlos Costa, a considerable portion of the 2023 investments are coming from suppliers of industries recently installed in the region, such as Midea and União Química, BIOLABCIMED, ACG, General Mills, YOFC and XCMG.
Operating in a wide range of sectors, from household appliances and pharmaceuticals to food, these companies have brought an important variety to local production, including investing more capital in new projects.
Midea, for example, will invest R$ 600 million in two production lines for refrigerators and washing machines, while XCMG will earmark R$ 270 million for a new assembly structure for electric trucks and machinery.
With the aim of attracting even more investment, the municipal administration is seeking to reduce bureaucracy and has already joined the Sim Network of the Minas Gerais State Board of Trade. The aim is to intensify the formalization of companies in the city, including the automation of this process in partnership with Jucemg.
In 2021, the city's GDP was estimated at R$ 10.7 billion by the census of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), confirming the positive results of Pouso Alegre City Hall's efforts to promote the city's economic development.
Investments 2024 and networking
This year, Pouso Alegre's highlight should be the new project by Unilever, one of the world's largest suppliers of beauty and wellness products, personal and home care and nutrition.
The London-based group, which produces brands such as Omo, Dove, Rexona and Kibon, announced last February an investment of R$ 80 million to expand another production line. According to the company, the funds will allow the operation to have a double-digit increase in production capacity when the work is completed, which is scheduled for May 2025.
In addition to private investors, the city is taking an important step towards innovation and training the population by building an Innovation Hub, POUSOHUB.
The site is the result of a partnership with the Pouso Alegre Entrepreneurship Center (NEMPA) and will be an environment for universities to interact with companies in the region in the search for solutions to improve their industrial processes. The intention is to turn the site into a start-up incubator in the future.
Jobs
One of the main indicators of Pouso Alegre's success is the number of jobs signed in the industrial sector. The city is currently one of the largest employers in the south of Minas Gerais, with more than 56,000 formal job vacancies, according to data from the General Register of Employed and Unemployed (Caged).
The companies set up in the region create vacancies for a wide range of professionals, improving the quality of life of the population. In order to train and collaborate with this demand, the City Hall carries out projects such as "Emprega P.A", in which direct contacts between residents and companies are made possible, and "Meu Primeiro Emprego", focused on training young people to start out in the job market.