The tobacco industry in South Brazil comprises small, medium and big companies. These companies rank among the best of their kind in the world, and utilize modern concepts in terms of state-of-the-art production and industrialization equipment. The municipalities of Santa Cruz do Sul and Venâncio Aires, in Rio Grande do Sul, are home to the biggest number of companies, resulting into the largest tobacco processing complex in the world. Income generated by the industry plays a decisive role in the respective municipalities, since it creates direct positions in the industrial plants and lots of indirect jobs.