The formation of the Votorantim Group: the origins of a Brazilian business group in São Paulo's textile sector (1891-1924)

Abstract The origins of the largest Brazilian business groups are still seen as gaps in economic historiography. Votorantim, Brazil's eighth largest group in 2007, was created in 1891, when the Union Bank of São Paulo created the Votorantim Textile Factory in the city of Sorocaba (SP). Analyzing primary sources (scripture, balance sheets, profit and loss statements, management reports), we see that the Votorantim Factory was among São Paulo's largest cotton textile companies in 1918, when the Union Bank went bankrupt and its assets were purchased by Antonio Pereira Ignacio. In 1919, Pereira Ignacio formed the Votorantim Group (S. A. Votorantim Factory), acting in the textile sector, lime exploration, cement, real estate, as well as private railway. The group’s companies, after modernization in the early 1920s, increased productivity, in particular the Votorantim factory, which became the largest cotton textile firm in São Paulo in 1925.

摘要 巴西规模最大的企业集团的起源至今仍是经济史学研究的空白领域。2007年巴西第八大企业集团沃托兰廷（Votorantim），其溯源可至1891年，彼时圣保罗联合银行（Union Bank of São Paulo）于索罗卡巴市（Sorocaba, SP）创立沃托兰廷纺织厂。通过对原始史料（账簿、资产负债表、损益表、管理报告）的分析可知，1918年沃托兰廷纺织厂已是圣保罗州规模最大的棉纺织企业之一；同年圣保罗联合银行破产，其全部资产被安东尼奥·佩雷拉·伊格纳西奥（Antonio Pereira Ignacio）收购。1919年，佩雷拉·伊格纳西奥组建沃托兰廷集团（S.A.沃托兰廷工厂），业务涵盖纺织、石灰勘探、水泥、房地产以及私营铁路领域。20世纪20年代初完成现代化改造后，该集团旗下企业的生产效率显著提升，其中沃托兰廷工厂更于1925年成为圣保罗州规模最大的棉纺织企业。