The Companhia Brasileira de Material Ferroviário (COBRASMA) () was a private company (Grupo Vidigal) responsible for manufacturing part of Brazil's railway equipment. At its peak, it employed nearly 6,900 people and had annual sales exceeding 200 million dollars. After a severe crisis, it ceased its manufacturing activities in May 1998, with a debt of approximately R$600 million.

History During World War II, Brazilian railroads faced shortages of parts and supplies for maintenance, which were typically imported from the countries involved in the conflict. These countries, however, were redirecting their industries to support the war effort. In 1941, the state of São Paulo had a railway network spanning 7,388 kilometers, with 2,162 locomotives, 3,934 freight wagons, and 2,319 passenger cars.

As the war progressed, the risk of the rail network collapsing due to the lack of parts increased. In 1942, the US government sent a technical mission to Brazil, led by Morris Llewellyn Cooke (1872–1960), to study and encourage Brazilian industry to produce goods that the country typically imported. This initiative aimed to involve US companies in providing projects and services to help strengthen local production capabilities for the war effort.

Encouraged by the Cooke Mission, a group of industrialists led by Gastão Vidigal came together in 1943 and formed the Companhia Brasileira de Material Ferroviário (Cobrasma) on September 1, 1944. Due to its shareholder structure, the new company absorbed the land and facilities of the Companhia Paulista de Material Ferroviário (Comaf), located in the then-district of Osasco, which had been bankrupt for many years. +ShareholderPercentageCompanhia Paulista de Estradas de Ferro25%25%12,5%7,5%Hime Comércio e Indústria S.A.3,25%2,75%Companhia Central De Administração e Participações2,5%Construtora de Imóveis S/A-Casa Bancária2,25%1,37%Siderúrgica Barra Mansa1,37%Indústrias Reunidas Fábricas Matarazzo1,37%Companhia Itaquerê, Industrial, Agrícola e Imobiliária1,37%Companhia Mecânica e Importadora de São Paulo0,75%Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional0,62%0,5%Companhia Estrada de Ferro do Dourado0,5%General Electric0,5%Other shareholders10,9%Total100% In 1987, the company caused significant losses to investors by issuing shares worth 108.1 million reais on the market, supported by unrealistic profit projections. This led to losses for the three coordinating banks (Bradesco, Crefisul, and ), 124 financial institutions, and thousands of small and medium-sized investors. The lawsuit that followed sparked controversy when it was dismissed by Judge in 1999.

In 1998, after several bankruptcy filings, the company ceased its operations.

Products

Railroads products

Freight wagons

Cobrasma began production in June 1946, assembling freight cars built in the United States by the Pressed Steel Car Company for the . Its first locally manufactured wagons were produced in 1948. Until 1992, when it stopped producing freight cars of various types, Cobrasma manufactured a total of 14,879 cars at its factories in Osasco and Sumaré/Hortolândia (from 1979): +YearQuantityYearQuantityYearQuantity19482719633751978125219490196413419791251950144196516019803461951291196615019812121952268196717919823181953234196860198345019543631969465198419619555731970147198540619564521971258198643519573241972451198736195843319731043198834919592519749331989019608019751472199050196166197610381991019625019773601992314Total14879

Passenger wagons Unlike the freight wagons, which were manufactured from the start of its operations, Cobrasma only began building passenger cars in 1957 when it partnered with FNV and Santa Matilde to produce the EFCB's 200 Series carbon steel trailer cars. To maintain production for a longer period, Cobrasma attempted to compete to supply 90 cars to the Santos - Jundiaí Railroad. However, the proposal was not even submitted because Rede Ferroviária Federal (the parent company of Santos Jundiaí) required the cars to be made of stainless steel. At that time, only Mafersa had mastered the manufacturing process, making it the only company qualified to compete. Later, Cobrasma, FNV, and Santa Matilde accused the president of RFFSA (who was both a shareholder and director of Mafersa) of directing the competition toward Mafersa, leading to the Mafersa case, which ended inconclusively.

Cobrasma resumed manufacturing passenger cars in 1965 when it partnered again with FNV and Santa Matilde to produce 300 of the EFCB's 400 Series cars. It was not until 1975, when it partnered with the French group Francorail and acquired a license to produce stainless steel cars, that Cobrasma began manufacturing passenger cars more regularly. This continued until 1987 when the last stainless steel car was delivered to the Belo Horizonte metro.

Car manufacturing ended in 1991, with the completion of the last six tram cars. Although Cobrasma produced cars for unit trains, it never manufactured passenger cars for long-distance trains, a market dominated by Mafersa, FNV, and Santa Matilde. +YearQuantityYearQuantity19576198288195930198378196591984381966391985601967511986481979144198712198010419902198110619916Total821

Buses

During the 1980s, economic crises, culminating in the Década Perdida, led to a decline in orders for railway equipment. In an attempt to diversify its production, Cobrasma began building stainless steel buses and trolleybuses.

Between 1983 and 1986, the company hired the design office Grupo Associado de Pesquisa e Planejamento Ltda (GAPP). The GAPP team, which included designer , developed the Trinox road model. Although the project was successful, manufacturing faced challenges due to Cobrasma's lack of expertise in producing road vehicles. This resulted in manufacturing defects and reliability issues, a decline in bus sales, and the high cost of the Trinox, which used stainless steel in its structure. The company later launched other models such as the CX-201, 202, 301, and 302. Between 1987 and 1989, Cobrasma manufactured 428 road buses, mostly the CX-201 model.

Trolleybus production was limited, with 46 vehicles sold to Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo and 2 to Companhia Trólebus Araraquara, manufactured between 1987 and 1989. In 1986, São Paulo City Hall, through CMTC, announced a project to acquire articulated trolleybuses. Cobrasma partnered with Mafersa for this project, but it was eventually canceled.

In 1990, the company ceased bus production due to its lack of economic viability, having built a total of 476 vehicles. At the peak of its production, Cobrasma held only 5% of the bus manufacturing market. The investment in the bus market worsened the company's financial situation. +YearRoadTrolleybuses1987101N/D198815913198916881990N/D27Total42848

Foundry Unlike other companies in the market, which purchased parts from existing foundries, Cobrasma was designed to have its foundry from the beginning. Designed by American Steel Foundries, Cobrasma's steel and iron foundry was the largest in Latin America at the time. It began operations in 1948 and produced parts for both the domestic and export markets continuously until it closed in October 1994. Its production increased in the 1950s when the federal government encouraged the establishment of the automobile industry in the country. Production dropped in 1968 during the company's major strike, but it reached its peak in the aftermath of the Brazilian Miracle. +YearQuantityYearQuantityYearQuantity19481385196411440198027407194954111965113431981180821950584519661191719821293519515819196710189198384611952764919689217198414972195357491969119711985215561954982719701401619862517619558873197113811198716114195610479197213434198814123195711194197323080198915153195898941974276871990136391959880219752694819911050419601126319762906819921081819611124319772205819931038719621168419782066919947400196312290197923114Total644096

Trade union movement In 1962, the workers established the Cobrasma Factory Commission to represent the more than 2,500 employees at the company. However, the commission was not officially recognized by the Vidigal family, which controlled the factory. Until then, the workers had been represented by the São Paulo Metalworkers' Union, but workers from Cobrasma and other companies in the region decided to organize independently. In 1963, they founded the Osasco and Region Metalworkers' Union. In November of that year, the first major strike at Cobrasma took place, demanding better wages and working conditions.

Following the 1964 coup d'état, the military regime dismissed and arrested the union leaders in Osasco. At the same time, the military sought to place more compliant or regime-supporting leaders in charge of the union. In 1967, workers overwhelmingly supported the opposition slate, led by young Cobrasma worker , who was elected union president. Ibrahim was a leader of the radical left-wing trade union movement, which brought the union and Cobrasma into conflict with the repressive government agencies.

On July 16, 1968, a young Cobrasma worker died in a fire at the company's forge, an accident caused by poor working conditions. This tragedy led to a factory-wide halt and became the catalyst for a strike. Ibrahim led the strike, demanding:

A 35% wage increase Recognition of the factory committees Job security for committee members Individual and collective protective equipment An end to the wage squeeze

In response, Cobrasma's owners called on the authorities to suppress the strike and arrest its leaders. Ibrahim and his colleagues expanded the strike to other companies in Osasco, growing the movement and making it harder for the regime to control. As an extreme measure, soldiers from the Quitaúna garrison were deployed to break the strike at the companies. Around a hundred Cobrasma workers barricaded themselves inside the factory, resisting the soldiers. When the soldiers attempted to enter the factory in the early hours of July 17, they suffered several casualties. Workers scattered steel chips in the courtyard, injuring the horses' legs, and causing them to fall and unseat their riders. Inside the factory, workers destroyed the lighting system, making it difficult for soldiers to navigate around machines, parts, and chemicals, leading to further injuries. By the morning of July 17, the factory was retaken, and most of the workers were arrested, including Ibrahim and the French priest Pierre Wauthier. Despite this, the strike continued for another week.

See also

Mafersa RFFSA

References