UniCarriers Americas Corporation (UCA) continues to expand its South American operations, establishing its Brazilian business unit and appointing Newton Santos as sales operations manager.

Through its legacy brands (Nissan Forklift and TCM), UniCarriers® has had a presence in the Brazil market for more than a decade. In 2013, UCA hired Santos to research and advise on expansion within Brazil. In January 2014, the company formalized its commitment by establishing a legal entity to operate in Brazil. The company will first focus on its dealer network in São Paulo, and then grow its dealer partnerships in the Southeastern region of Brazil including Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo.

“Opportunities in the Brazilian market are abundant, so we must carefully consider both our short- and long-term goals as we gain momentum in this marketplace,” said Santos, sales operations manager for Brazil, UniCarriers Americas. “In the short term, we will work to expand our dealer network and build new relationships based on our established history. In the long term, our plans include establishing a manufacturing operation to become fully vested as we compete at the highest levels.”

Bringing more than 24 years of industry experience, Santos will establish a local presence for UniCarriers Americas in Brazil and develop the dealer network. He previously worked as regional sales manager for Clark Material Handling South America and as general manager for a large, privately owned forklift parts distributor prior to joining UniCarriers Americas.

“Newton is an excellent addition to our team. His experience with managing growing, global companies is extraordinary,” said James J. Radous III, executive vice president sales, Americas, UniCarriers Americas. “Brazil is a critical market. It’s the seventh largest in the world and the second largest in the Americas. Many customers in Brazil are in need of the solutions that UniCarriers can provide for their businesses, which is why it’s so important that we create partnerships with companies that are ready to make an investment in the future with us. Newton’s knowledge of the Brazilian market is a valued asset in further growing these partnerships.”

Santos earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Unimep, located in Piracicaba, Brazil and is actively pursuing additional education and training through a variety of programs and institutions including the New England School of English. He is also fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish.