en.Wedoany.com Reported - LW Metal Solutions (LW Soluções Metálicas), based in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, is shifting its business focus from the oil and shipbuilding sectors to agribusiness. The company expects its revenue to reach at least R$200 million by 2026, doubling from the previous year. Founded in 2010 by Luiz Weber, the company initially served the oil and shipbuilding industries. It later specialized and relocated its headquarters after undertaking the soybean terminal project for the South Rio Grande do Sul Central Cooperative (CCGL) at the Port of Rio Grande.
Currently, agribusiness accounts for 60% to 70% of LW's revenue, primarily driven by clients in the fertilizer industry, including Yara Fertilizantes, Mosaic, and Fospar. The company has also expanded into areas such as subway projects, but agribusiness remains its core focus. In 2025, LW achieved 100% revenue growth, in line with its agricultural clients' projects.
Weber stated that the company's growth is not only due to increased fertilizer deliveries but also because geopolitical risks and logistical challenges, such as the Strait of Hormuz incident, have prompted the fertilizer industry to increase investments in areas like storage systems. Compared to the large structures provided by companies like Kepler Weber, LW's projects are smaller in scale, but the company is frequently invited to collaborate. Additionally, metal structures in fertilizer environments have a short lifespan, creating ongoing maintenance needs, and the company is heavily involved in annual maintenance work.
Looking ahead, LW is eyeing the biofuels sector. The Rio Grande Refinery (Refinaria Riograndense) (whose shareholders include Petrobras (Brazilian National Oil Company), Braskem, and Ultrapar) is advancing the "Rio Grande Biorefinery" (Biorrefinaria Riograndense) project, with an estimated investment of over R$5 billion to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and green diesel (HVO). The site is already in the testing phase for soybean oil processing. Weber expects companies such as Bianchini, Bunge, and CCGL to invest in the Termasa terminal.
LW plans to increase its revenue to R$600 million by 2029, with approximately R$400 million coming from agribusiness clients. To meet demand, the company is investing R$14 million in a new industrial headquarters, having purchased 20,000 square meters of land in the Rio Grande Industrial District. Once the new plant is operational, monthly metal structure production will increase from the current 150 tons to 400 tons. Some equipment is being imported from China, and the Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG) is assisting with process automation. Furthermore, the company is eyeing opportunities in the Midwest region, having completed engineering work for a fertilizer client in Sinop (MT) and supplied materials for Arauco's plant in Inocência (MS). The resumption of production at Petrobras's nitrogen fertilizer plant in Três Lagoas (MS) is also expected to bring new contracts.
