The announcement was made at Brazil's Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade by company chairman Jacques Barthelemy, after a meeting with minister Miguel Jorge.
According to Barthelemy, the smallest of the factories, which received investment of US$ 20 million, should be installed in the state of Ceará, due to its geographic location and to fiscal incentives offered by the state.
"Ceará is an export hub that is geographically very well located and the cost of transport of these machines is crucial in the establishment of prices. That is why there is such interest in the state, which also has other fiscal advantages," he said.
The site for the other factory, according to the chairman at EBCO Systems, is still under study. According to Barthelemy, both enterprises should generate 300 jobs for highly qualified labor.
A large part of the X-ray equipment for cargo inspection used by the Brazilian customs is produced by EBCO Systems. The company also intends to finance US$ 150 million in more modern machinery.
EBCO opened its doors in 1981, initially commercializing airport equipment. During this period they developed projects in Rio's international airport Galeão as well as São Paulo's Guarulhos airport.
In the mid 1990s, the company started selling X-ray systems for the inspection of cargos and luggage. They eventually evolved to manufacture more sophisticated equipment geared to inspect pallets and containers in Brazilian ports.
At the same time they developed equipment adapted for the food and drug industries to detect in a non-invasive way the contents of packages, being able to show the presence of explosives and illegal drugs.
ABr