Not only enthusiastic football fans all over the world are looking to Brazil in 2014. For Voith, Brazil is in special focus this year as well. In 1964, Voith opened its first plant in São Paulo. In 2014, Voith thus celebrates its 50th anniversary in Brazil.

Since 1964, the company has participated locally in many large infrastructure projects, which have been and still are vital for the growth of the country. Within the recent months and years, Voith has been participating in projects which will contribute to making this major sports event run smoothly. One example is 4,000 Voith DIWA automatic transmissions, which are in operation in the host cities.

For the 2014 soccer highlight, countless visitors from home and abroad will flood into the Brazilian stadiums. On their way they will be accompanied or transported by Voith in many places. In order to realize this major event - and also the Olympic Games, which will take place in Brazil in 2016 - the country has massively stepped up its infrastructure investments.

The Brazilian company Bom Sinal, for example, ordered 68 Voith DIWAPacks to be used as drive systems in railcars for commuter trains in cities such as Fortaleza and Natal. The delivery scope also includes Scharfenberg semi-automatic couplers and Voith gear units. On the roads, the bus operators of the megacities São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Brasilia and Belo Horizonte rely on Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems. A large proportion of the vehicles that were newly acquired for this application are fitted with DIWA automatic transmissions from Voith, the world market leader in the BRT segment. For São Paulo alone, over 500 buses from Mercedes-Benz do Brasil were ordered with the Voith DIWA transmission. In addition, Voith also contributes to the sustainable energy supply of Brazil with its turbines and generators. Electricity from hydropower now covers nearly 60 percent of the nationwide energy requirements.

Due to its 50-year local development, Voith is now deeply rooted in Brazil and employs about 5,700 people in the country. The largest Voith locations are São Paulo and Manaus, other locations are Estreito, Ponta Grossa, Mucuri, Sorocaba and Pinhais. Apart from operating large production sites, Voith in Brazil also carries out research and development for new technologies that are used in the worldwide Voith markets. In 2011, for example, the company opened the research and development center for hygienic papers in São Paulo.

Voith sets standards in the markets energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith employs more than 43,000 people, generates € 5.7 billion in sales, operates in about 50 countries around the world and is today one of the biggest family-owned companies in Europe.