On September 2, 2025, SCM’s Brazilian subsidiary officially celebrated its first 40 years. An achievement that fills with pride both the team that works daily at the São Bento do Sul headquarters to support customers in Brazil and South America, and the entire SCM Group.
Together with Marcos Muller, Country Manager of SCM Tecmatic and Regional Manager for South America, we revisited the main milestones of this journey.
Marcos, what has been the greatest achievement reached by the subsidiary over these four decades?
“Without a doubt, becoming the market leader in the woodworking and furniture industry, both in Brazil and throughout South America. We achieved this thanks to the constant commitment of our team, the innovative strength of our technological solutions and the added value of our services. But, above all, we have become a benchmark partner also for the large furniture industry, in complete factory projects and integrated lines, as demonstrated by our successful partnerships with prestigious customers in the sector.”
Let’s go back to the origins, in 1985: what was the subsidiary like back then, and who was your typical customer? “This exciting journey began with the founders of Tecmatic, Joel Furst and Levi Rank, experts in industrial automation and maintenance, who had the intuition to develop the first woodworking machinery projects. By 1990, the company already had 30 employees, but there was still great growth potential in the Brazilian furniture industry. A first turning point came in 1992, when Tecmatic began to be recognized in the market as a leading manufacturer of wide belt sanders and CNC machines. The range of technological solutions then gradually expanded, also thanks to our entry into the SCM Group.”
How did the alliance with SCM come about?
“In 2002, the Group began scouting in Brazil to evaluate a potential partnership with a local manufacturing company that also had a strong commercial structure. The acquisition took place in 2003, giving a further boost to our growth and market leadership thanks to the possibility of offering the most extensive range of technologies for the sector. In 2016, the SCM Group became the majority shareholder, acquiring the remaining shares from the founding partners.”
Today SCM Brazil has a team of 180 people and is not only a commercial subsidiary of the Group, but also a production plant of 22,500 square meters. What does this mean for you?
“It is definitely an added value for the production of machines serving the whole of Latin America: panel sizing, edgebanding, sanding, CNC machining centers, traditional woodworking machines... We know the needs of this market in depth and, in synergy with the plants in Italy, we develop solutions that are highly suited to these requirements.”
Your subsidiary is also the birthplace of important projects and partnerships in services and digital transformation, such as scouting for digital startups…
“Exactly. Developing new business models also comes from research and collaboration with innovative startups that create high-tech solutions and accelerate alignment with new market trends. Thanks to the experience and commitment of one of our professionals, Jaison Carlos Scheel, Digital Startup Developer at SCM Group, we are carrying out strategic projects to connect with the vibrant startup ecosystem, which is particularly dynamic in this market.”
On this special anniversary for SCM Brazil, what message would you like to share with your team and with your customers?
“My gratitude goes to all the colleagues who have helped build this story, and confidence in all that we will achieve together in the future. To our customers, I want to reaffirm our commitment to long-term partnerships, to innovation that delivers results, and to excellent service. May the next 40 years be marked by shared growth and competitive excellence in our industry.”
