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The arrival of Transnordestina in Quixeramobim, in the Central Sertão of Ceará, is transforming the economic profile of a municipality of 82 thousand inhabitants that until now depended on the footwear hub and the dairy sector. According to information from the portal Movimento Economico, on Thursday (14), Magnésio do Nordeste LTDA signed a commitment agreement with the city hall for the installation of a magnesium polymer automotive parts factory with an investment of R$ 370 million, occupying 18 hectares and aiming for 450 direct jobs in three phases of expansion, with construction expected to start in July.
The factory will be the first and only unit in the world dedicated to the production of automotive parts in magnesium polymer within this technological model, according to the Portuguese businessman Antônio Pinheiro Teixeira, representative of the company in Brazil, whose capital includes North American and European investors. But the factory does not arrive alone: alongside the railway, the Value Global Group is building the José Dias de Macêdo Dry Port, a multimodal terminal with a total investment of R$ 1 billion and operation expected for August this year. Mayor Cirilo Pimenta (PSB) also announced the implementation of an Export Processing Zone (EPZ) and advanced negotiations to install a motorcycle assembly plant in the municipality. “Transnordestina will bring many other investments different from what we have experienced so far. This is a completely transformative economic profile,” said Pimenta, who projects doubling the municipal GDP of R$ 1.4 billion by 2035.
The factory that will be unique in the world
The unit that Magnésio do Nordeste will install in Quixeramobim will produce polymer magnesium chassis and wheels for all car and motorcycle manufacturers installed in Brazil. These products are currently fully imported, which means that the Ceará factory will replace imports and position the Central Sertão in the global scenario of automotive industrial innovation. Polymer magnesium combines the metal with high-performance polymers to produce lightweight and resistant structural parts, reducing weight by up to 30% compared to aluminum alternatives, according to Rima Industrial, the only primary magnesium producer in the Southern Hemisphere.
The project does not involve mineral exploration, but the industrial transformation of already processed raw material. The signing ceremony was attended by Mayor Cirilo Pimenta and businessman Antônio Pinheiro Teixeira, and the construction will be carried out by Grupo Avelino Engenharia Industrial, a Ceará conglomerate with over 30 years of experience in metal constructions. The schedule foresees 90 employees between 2026 and 2027, reaching 150 per shift in three shifts by 2030, totaling 450 direct jobs. The company committed to reserving 80% of the positions for local labor, above the minimum of 70% required by municipal law.
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The R$ 1 billion dry port on the edge of Transnordestina
Next to the magnesium factory, another billion-dollar investment is taking shape in Quixeramobim. Value Global Group is building the José Dias de Macêdo Dry Port, a multimodal terminal with a total investment of R$ 1 billion, an area larger than 362 hectares, and operation scheduled for August this year. The terminal will be implemented in two phases and will function as a connection point between Transnordestina and road transport, allowing cargo to be transferred between the two modes without having to go to the coast.
Transnordestina Logística has already signed a contract to start line travel operations within the dry port, according to the municipal secretary of Economic Development, Afrânio Feitosa. The environmental licenses to start the terminal’s construction were in the final approval phase. For a municipality in the Central Sertão that until recently did not appear on any national logistics map, having a R$ 1 billion dry port operating on the edge of a railway represents a level change that naturally attracts other investments.
Two years of negotiation and a won dispute
The achievement of the magnesium factory was not immediate. Secretary Afrânio Feitosa revealed that the negotiations lasted two years and that Quixeramobim competed with a large and politically influential Ceará municipality, which was not identified by name. The dispute involved analyses of economic viability, location, infrastructure, and a political environment favorable to investments. Feitosa was in London when he received confirmation that the partnership was maintained.
“We managed to win this battle because our municipality presented economic viability, is well located, structured, and has a political environment favorable to investments,” said Feitosa. Quixeramobim’s victory over a larger competitor demonstrates that the combination of Transnordestina, dry port, and political willingness to attract industry can compensate for what a smaller municipality lacks in size and industrial tradition.
Motorcycle Assembly Plant and Export Processing Zone
The investments attracted by Transnordestina do not stop at the magnesium factory and the dry port. Mayor Cirilo Pimenta announced the implementation of an Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Quixeramobim and stated that advanced negotiations are underway for the installation of a motorcycle assembly plant in the municipality, using the fiscal incentives of the instrument. The EPZ allows companies located within the zone to import inputs and export finished products with tax exemption or reduction.
The combination of an automotive parts factory, dry port with railway, and motorcycle assembly plant would create a complete industrial ecosystem in Quixeramobim, where raw materials enter via the railway, are transformed in the factory, assembled in the assembly plant, and exported through the dry port to the Port of Pecém on the coast. For a municipality of 82,000 inhabitants in the Sertão of Ceará, the prospect of hosting this entire production cycle is transformative.
Transnordestina as the Engine of Transformation
The Transnordestina Railway covers 1,206 kilometers between Eliseu Martins, in Piauí, and the Port of Pecém, on the Ceará coast, with arrival expected in Quixeramobim in 2026. It is the proximity to the railway that explains why investors with European and American capital chose the Central Sertão to install a global auto parts factory instead of opting for capitals or metropolitan regions with already consolidated infrastructure. The railway offers cargo flow at a lower cost than road transport and connects the interior of the Northeast directly to Ceará’s main export port.
Mayor Cirilo Pimenta positioned the new investments as a complement to an already diversified economic base: consolidated footwear hub, dairy hub, and feed factory with distribution to other states. “It is the beginning of a change in the economic profile of the Sertão of Ceará as a whole. Every week we are more organized to receive large entrepreneurs and other types of industry,” he stated. The projection to double the GDP of R$ 1.4 billion by 2035 is not modest, but the combination of railway, dry port, magnesium factory, and possible motorcycle assembly plant offers a concrete base to support it.
A Sertão That Projects to Double GDP in a Decade
Transnordestina is bringing to Quixeramobim a R$ 370 million magnesium automotive parts factory with 450 jobs, a R$ 1 billion dry port, and negotiations to install a motorcycle assembly plant with EPZ incentives. The municipality of 82,000 inhabitants in the Central Sertão of Ceará projects to double its GDP of R$ 1.4 billion by 2035, and the combination of railway, multimodal terminal, and high-tech industry offers a development model that can be a reference for other municipalities in the northeastern interior. The factory’s construction begins in July, and the dry port is expected to start operations in August.
Do you believe that the Transnordestina can transform the economic profile of the Sertão of Ceará? Tell us in the comments what you think about a global auto parts factory in the interior of the Northeast, if the dry port model with railway makes sense for the region, and how you evaluate the goal of doubling the GDP of Quixeramobim in a decade. We want to hear your opinion.
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