Metalurgica Rio Grande

What Metalurgica Rio Grande does

Metalúrgica Rio Grande (legal name CCRG Equipamentos Industriais LTDA) is a privately held Brazilian industrial equipment manufacturer specializing in heavy metalworking and pressure vessel fabrication for the sugarcane and ethanol (sucroalcooleiro) sector. Founded in 1999 as a worker cooperative in Igarapava, São Paulo, and restructured into a limited liability company in January 2008, it operates a single integrated manufacturing site of 10,000 m² built area on 100,000 m² of total land, with two 500-ton cranes enabling transport and installation of heavy vessels. The company designs, fabricates, assembles, and installs custom process equipment covering the full sugarcane processing chain — cane reception and preparation, juice treatment, multiple-effect evaporation, batch and continuous cooking, vertical crystallization, mass reheating, distillation, and large-capacity ethanol storage (reservoirs up to 25,000 m³).

Its technical differentiators include the world's largest continuous double-chamber cooker (3,000 HL), delivered to Pedra Agroindustrial and replicated in all-stainless-steel construction at Alta Mogiana; ethanol storage reservoirs built to API 650 with floating aluminum seals (API-650 Appendix H) that reduce evaporation losses by 90-95% per EPA TANKS modeling; and gas washing systems compliant with CONAMA Resolution 382/2006. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and fabricates to NFPA 11 foam fire suppression standards. According to its public portfolio, it has manufactured and installed more than 100 ethanol storage reservoirs representing approximately 2 billion liters of storage capacity, alongside 100+ types of process equipment across the mill value chain.

Metalúrgica Rio Grande generates revenue through project-based, custom-engineered contracts with enterprise clients — primarily large sugarcane mills, ethanol producers, and fuel terminal operators in Brazil — under multi-year billing arrangements and individually quoted pricing. Its go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supported by participation in industry events such as the SBA Seminário Brasileiro Agroindustrial (23rd edition, November 2024) and a long-form founder podcast. Named customers include Raízen (multiple units), COFCOagri, Bunge (Moema), IACO, Alta Mogiana, Pedra Agroindustrial, Cerradinho Bio, Jales Machado, Pauliceia, Coruripe, SJC Bioenergia, Delta Sucroenergia, IPIRANGA, and Logum — all within the sugarcane, ethanol, or fuel logistics value chain, making the company a vertically specialized single-industry fabricator.

Name

Metalurgica Rio Grande

Legal name

CCRG Equipamentos Industriais LTDA

Website

https://metalurgicariogrande.ind.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Metalúrgica Rio Grande is a privately held Brazilian industrial equipment manufacturer that designs, fabricates, and installs custom heavy process equipment and ethanol storage reservoirs for large sugarcane mills, ethanol producers, and fuel terminal operators in Brazil.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Equipment for Sugarcane Processing and Ethanol Storage

NAICS

Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAMALAL

Biorefinery Technology & Contract Processing (fractionation, tolling, scale-up)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Paper & Forest Products/Biomaterials & Bio-based Products

Keywords

• Industrial equipment manufacturing
• Sugarcane processing equipment
• Ethanol storage tanks
• Sugar factory fabrication
• Pressure vessel manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Igarapava

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Industrial Equipment Manufacturing: Designs, fabricates, assembles, and installs custom-built industrial equipment for the sugarcane and ethanol sector. Revenue is generated through project-based contracts for specific equipment or complete plant solutions, typically involving large capital expenditures from enterprise clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Metalurgica Rio Grande designs, fabricates, assembles, transports, and installs custom-built heavy industrial equipment for the Brazilian sugarcane and bioenergy sector. Its portfolio includes complete sugar factories (up to 28,000 bags/day), continuous and batch cooking systems, crystallizers, evaporators, juice heaters, mass reheaters, and ethanol storage reservoirs (up to 25,000 m³) with floating seal systems, as well as environmental control equipment such as gas scrubbers and stainless steel chimneys. The company delivers turnkey equipment solutions directly to enterprise sugarcane mills, ethanol producers, and fuel terminals.

Product overview

Metalúrgica Rio Grande is an industrial equipment manufacturer specializing in the sugarcane-energy sector (sucroalcooleiro), producing a comprehensive portfolio of equipment for sugar factories, ethanol distilleries, and fuel terminals. The company operates as a single integrated manufacturing operation rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their product portfolio centers on process equipment including complete sugar factories, evaporation systems, cooking systems (batch and continuous), crystallizers, juice heaters, mass reheaters, and storage tanks (reservatórios) for ethanol and other fuels. They also manufacture environmental control equipment including gas scrubbers, chimneys, and floating seal systems for evaporation reduction. Equipment categories include: complete turnkey facilities (Fábrica de Açúcar Completa, Fábrica de Açúcar Compacta), process equipment (Cozedores, Cristalizadores, Aquecedores, Evaporadores), storage systems (Reservatórios de Etanol, Reservatórios para Terminais de Combustíveis), and environmental equipment (Lavador de Gases, Chaminés, Selo Flutuante). The company serves the Brazilian sugarcane, ethanol, and fuel distribution industries with design, fabrication, assembly, and installation services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fábrica de Açúcar Completa (Complete Sugar Factory) Complete sugar factories for sugarcane processing, including treatment, evaporation, crystallization, and packaging systems, delivered to enterprise sugarcane mills.
• Fábrica de Açúcar Compacta IACO (28,000 bags/day) Compact sugar factory with 28,000 bags/day capacity, VHP color 600, fully equipped for juice reception, treatment, flash tank heating, and mass cooking. Installed at client IACO.
• Reservatórios de Etanol (Ethanol Storage Reservoirs) Large-capacity ethanol storage tanks with floating seal systems for environmental pollution control and evaporation inhibition, fabricated to API 650 standard and installed across Brazilian ethanol producers and pipeline terminals.
• Reservatórios para Terminais de Combustíveis (Fuel Terminal Storage Tanks) Fuel terminal storage tanks with floating seals for ethanol, gasoline, and diesel storage, built to API 650 and NFPA 11 standards for fuel logistics operators and pipeline terminals.
• Equipamentos para Destilaria (Distillery Equipment) Distillery equipment including distillation apparatus for hydrated and anhydrous alcohol, fermentation systems, molecular sieves, and ethanol storage tanks for distillery operators in the ethanol sector.
• Cozedor Contínuo de Câmara Dupla (Continuous Double-Chamber Cooker) Continuous double-chamber cooking system for continuous sugar mass preparation, enabling faster cooking times than batch cookers. Installed at Coruripe (2,500 HL), Pedra Agroindustrial (3,000 HL world record), and Alta Mogiana (3,000 HL all-stainless steel).
• Cozedores de Batelada (Batch Cooking Systems) Batch cooking systems for sugar mass preparation (Mass A and B), subsequently directed to crystallizers for homogenization. Installed at IACO Agricola (850 HL).
• Pré Evaporador Tipo Robert (Robert-type Pre-Evaporator) Pre-evaporator system for sugarcane juice concentration and vapor generation for the crystallization stage. Includes 2,000 m² unit installed at Raízen Tarumã.
• Sistema de Evaporação Múltiplo Efeito (Multiple-Effect Evaporation System) Multiple-effect evaporation system for removing water from clarified juice, concentrating it to approximately 65° brix syrup. Includes 4,000 m² installation at Usina Campo Florido.
• Aquecedores de Caldo Verticais (Vertical Juice Heaters) Vertical juice heaters for thermal exchange used to heat sugarcane juice preparing it for decantation. Includes 518 m² installation at Bunge Moema.
• Cristalizadores (Crystallizers) Crystallizers equipped with agitators that assist in the sugar crystallization process. Includes 1,000 HL units at Raízen Univalem.
• Cristalizadores Verticais (Vertical Crystallizers) Vertical crystallizers with agitators for sugar crystallization, available in 3,000 HL capacity. Installed at COFCOagri.
• Reaquecedores de Massa (Mass Reheaters) Mass reheaters designed for rapid heating of cooked sugar mass without crystal dissolution, providing ideal viscosity for centrifuges. Includes 500 m² units at COFCOagri and SJC Bioenergia.
• Magmeira e Sementeira (Magma and Seed Mixer) Magmeira equipment for mixing sugar crystals from mass B centrifugation with syrup, clarified juice, and water for use as cooking seed. Installed at IACO.
• Lavador de Gases (Gas Scrubber / Gas Washing System) Gas scrubber / gas washing systems that minimize emission of polluting gases and particulate matter to the atmosphere, compliant with CONAMA Resolution 382/2006. Installed at Raízen Junqueira and Santa Helena units.
• Chaminé em Inox 410D (Stainless Steel 410D Chimney) Stainless steel 410D chimneys installed at the end of boiler gas washing systems to direct treated gases to the atmosphere. Installed at Alta Mogiana and Raízen facilities.
• Selo Flutuante (Floating Seal System) Floating aluminum seal systems for environmental pollution control and evaporation inhibition in ethanol storage tanks, based on API-650 Appendix H and reducing evaporation losses by 90-95%. Installed at Logum Uberaba MG terminal.
• Sistema de Cana Picada (Chopped Cane System) Chopped cane system including mechanical thread with 45-ton capacity for direct unloading from trucks to conveyor belts, streamlining the milling process. Installed at IPIRANGA Descalvado and Mococa units.
• Pipe Racks e Plataformas (Pipe Racks and Platforms) Support structures (pipe racks and platforms) for small and large diameter piping systems in industrial facilities. Installed at Delta Sucroenergia Delta unit.
• Mesa Alimentadora (Feeding Table) Feeding tables for sugarcane unloading and feeding to mills via mechanical threads. Installed at Usina Alto Alegre.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 ethanol storage reservoirs manufactured and installed across Brazil
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LogumnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogum operates the ethanol pipeline from Ribeirão Preto SP to Uberaba MG, passing through 11 cities. MRG manufactured and installed four 6,000 m³ ethanol storage reservoirs for Logum's Uberaba terminal, equipped with floating seals based on API-650 Appendix H for environmental control and evaporation inhibition. The tanks store ethanol transported via the pipeline system, demonstrating a co-development relationship where MRG supplies critical storage infrastructure for Logum's pipeline operations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dedini Indústrias de Base: Brazil's largest manufacturer of equipment and complete turnkey plants for the sugar-ethanol industry. Most direct competitor to MRG in heavy sugar-ethanol process equipment, cookers, evaporators, and complete mill deliveries, though operating at substantially larger scale.
• BMA (Braunschweigische Maschinenbauanstalt): German-headquartered global specialist in sugar processing equipment including diffusers, crystallizers, and centrifuges, with a long-standing Brazilian presence. Directly comparable as a sugar-mill process equipment manufacturer serving the same Brazilian and international sugarcane customers.
• Zanini Renk Equipamentos Industriais: Brazilian heavy industrial equipment manufacturer serving the sugar-energy, oil & gas, and pulp & paper sectors. Comparable as a domestic competitor fabricating large-scale custom process equipment and pressure vessels for similar end customers.
• Usimeca International: Brazilian industrial equipment manufacturer with a sugar-energy product line including process equipment for mills and distilleries. Comparable domestic competitor focused on the same sugarcane-ethanol vertical with similar custom-fabrication business model.
• Pucelpa Equipamentos Industriais: Brazilian manufacturer of industrial equipment for sugar mills and ethanol plants, including evaporators, heaters, and crystallizers. Closely comparable niche specialist competing for similar project contracts from Brazilian sugarcane mills.

Broad incumbents

• Fives Group: French global industrial engineering group with a sugar and bioenergy equipment line (Fives Cail) offering complete sugar factories and process equipment. Comparable in product overlap but operates at much broader industrial scale across multiple process industries.
• GEA Group: Global food processing and separation equipment major with relevant product overlap in evaporation, crystallization, and ethanol processing. Comparable as a broad incumbent with adjacent technology used by some of the same Brazilian bioenergy customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metalurgica-rio-grande

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Metalurgica Rio Grande