Our history began in July 1956, when Portuguese immigrant Julio Simões founded Transportadora Julio Simões Ltda. (now JSL) after purchasing his first truck and beginning to transport fresh produce from Mogi das Cruzes to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. That same year, he began providing transportation services to the pulp and paper industry. In 1970, the company made its first acquisition, Transcofer, a company three times its size. By 1972, JSL had a fleet of 42 trucks. Through hard work and dedication, the trust of financial institutions, and committed people focused on delighting customers, the company entered a major growth cycle throughout the 1970s.
In 1981, at the age of 14, Fernando Antonio Simões, Mr. Julio’s youngest son, joined JSL, where he worked in several areas before becoming Operations Director in 1986. Two years later, he took over the company’s commercial operations. In the late 1980s, the Group began to diversify, expanding into light-vehicle rental and employee transportation services. With its credibility, proven track record of delivery, and focus on customer needs, JSL was well positioned to capitalize on the major outsourcing cycle across Brazilian industries.
By the early 1990s, Fernando was already sharing responsibility for managing the company with his father and continued to pursue its business diversification. This strategy was designed to deliver even greater value to customers, strengthen customer loyalty and differentiation from competitors, and reduce customer concentration and dependence on specific activities and sectors. Throughout the decade, the Group expanded into light-vehicle sales, light-vehicle Fleet Management and Outsourcing (GTF), heavy-asset leasing, and urban mobility.
After the turn of the millennium, the company further expanded its scope of operations and introduced services such as forestry operations and materials handling within customers’ industrial facilities. These initiatives propelled JSL to the leading position in its segment as early as 2001, a position it has held ever since. In 2006, the Julio Simões Institute was established to consolidate and enhance the social initiatives that the founder and his wife had always undertaken to benefit the communities where we operate. In 2009, in line with the Group’s strategic plan, all public-sector operations were consolidated under CS BRASIL, bringing together a team with the technical expertise specific to this segment and differentiated governance and transparency practices.
In 2010, as another step toward strengthening the company’s governance, financial strength, and differentiation, the company went public and listed its shares on the Novo Mercado, B3’s highest corporate governance segment. This important milestone was part of the company’s strategic plan to broaden access to capital to support its continued development, ensure its long-term sustainability, and provide greater security to customers that entrust the company with the execution of strategic activities.
In 2011, JSL acquired Rodoviário Schio, Brazil’s largest temperature-controlled food transportation and warehousing company, expanding its logistics services platform. In 2013, JSL Leasing was established to support the Group’s sales efforts and strengthen customer loyalty. In early 2014, the acquisition of MOVIDA, which had a fleet of 2,400 vehicles and 29 locations, was completed. MOVIDA consolidated the light-vehicle GTF operations previously conducted by JSL and, guided by our DNA of serving others, pioneered several innovations focused on customer needs, including offering imported vehicles, a broad range of models, and the use of technology to enhance the customer experience, helping transform Brazil’s car rental market. In 2015, in line with the strategic plan, the Group established VAMOS, consolidating all heavy-asset leasing operations that JSL had conducted since the 1990s, as well as the Volkswagen/MAN truck and bus dealership network and the used-vehicle network.
In early 2017, MOVIDA went public, strengthening its capital structure to support the company’s continued development. That same year, VAMOS acquired Grupo Borgato, a company engaged in the leasing and sale of heavy machinery and equipment for the agricultural sector. In 2019, JSL Leasing was renamed BBC Leasing, and BBC Digital was launched as a digital financial services platform focused on the Group’s ecosystem, with the aim of better serving customers and strengthening customer loyalty.
Between 2014 and 2019, the Group’s consolidated revenue grew by 77% to more than R$10.7 billion, and in 2019 it reached record Net Income of R$319 million, driven by new contracts and investments and by an organizational transformation that gave the Group companies greater autonomy and independence. Over the same period, Brazil’s GDP declined by 3%, underscoring the resilience of the Group’s businesses.
In July 2020, the holding company functions previously performed by JSL were transferred to SIMPAR, which consolidated the Group’s equity interests and corporate team to guide, monitor, and oversee the execution of the controlled companies’ business plans, develop new businesses and areas of operation, and ensure alignment with the Group’s values, culture, and management model.
At the end of this process, SIMPAR emerged as a holding company that controls and guides its independent companies and, when necessary, supports the execution of their business plans, contributing to their development. At the same time, it preserves and strengthens the Culture, Values, and Management Model of its operating companies, each dedicated to a specific business activity.
In January 2021, VAMOS went public. This was followed by the creation of CS INFRA, adding its operations to SIMPAR’s portfolio. CS INFRA was established to consolidate a portfolio of infrastructure concessions across the following verticals: CS Portos, CS Rodovias, CS Mobilidade, CS InfraSocial and CS Ambiental.
The SIMPAR Group operates in the light-vehicle dealership segment through AUTOMOB, a brand created in 2022 to consolidate its light-vehicle sales operations. The Group has been engaged in light-vehicle sales since 1995 through Original.
In 2024, a strategic reorganization was approved combining the businesses of AUTOMOB and VAMOS Comércio de Máquinas Linha Amarela S.A., creating Brazil’s largest and most diversified light- and heavy-vehicle dealership group.
In May 2026, the Group completed the R$3.0 billion capital increases of SIMPAR, MOVIDA, and VAMOS, anchored by JSP Holding and BNDESPar, an institution recognized for its long-term perspective and track record of value creation. As part of the transaction, BNDESPar also exercised its option to acquire a 5.0% interest in JSL, granted by SIMPAR in connection with the transaction.
